Even as the BJP is faced with the Bihar upset, there was some rejoicing at the BJP headquarters on Thursday. The homecoming of expelled party veteran Jaswant Singh and TV actor Smriti Irani taking charge as BJP Mahila Morcha chief saw some colour and outpouring of emotion in the party. “It’s good be back in these familiar surrounding,” said an emotional Jaswant Singh, visibly enjoying the limelight after a year’s oblivion, soon after BJP chief Nitin Gadkari “welcomed” him back into the party, flanked by senior leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Ravi Shankar Prasad and SS Ahluwalia, at the crowded briefing room overflowing with party leaders and media.
While Gadkari said he had wanted Singh to be back in the party soon after he took over as the party chief, Advani said, “With the happiness there is also a sense of relief as I welcome him,” hinting that he was never in favour of expelling Jaswant Singh in the first place. Singh was expelled during the Shimla ‘chintan baithak’ of the party last year. He said he was “very happy” that Singh, whom he had met for the first time during his initial days of political work in Rajasthan, has rejoined the party. According to Singh, Advani wanted all the unpleasantness that had happened in between to be considered a closed chapter. Singh claimed that he was also touched when Gadkari came over to his house after taking over as party chief and asked for his blessings.
Conceding that he has always abided by BJP’s ideology from the time he joined the party, Singh said he will “continue to do so”. Singh was expelled over his controversial take on Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his book on Pakistan’s founding father.Recalling his expulsion from the party at Shimla in August 2009, the MP from Darjeeling said, “I was hurt, humiliated by what I had encountered.”
While Gadkari said he had wanted Singh to be back in the party soon after he took over as the party chief, Advani said, “With the happiness there is also a sense of relief as I welcome him,” hinting that he was never in favour of expelling Jaswant Singh in the first place. Singh was expelled during the Shimla ‘chintan baithak’ of the party last year. He said he was “very happy” that Singh, whom he had met for the first time during his initial days of political work in Rajasthan, has rejoined the party. According to Singh, Advani wanted all the unpleasantness that had happened in between to be considered a closed chapter. Singh claimed that he was also touched when Gadkari came over to his house after taking over as party chief and asked for his blessings.
Conceding that he has always abided by BJP’s ideology from the time he joined the party, Singh said he will “continue to do so”. Singh was expelled over his controversial take on Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his book on Pakistan’s founding father.Recalling his expulsion from the party at Shimla in August 2009, the MP from Darjeeling said, “I was hurt, humiliated by what I had encountered.”
No comments:
Post a Comment