Awaz Apni

Awaz Apni NEW DELHI: Senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former foreign minister, Jaswant Singh, has been expelled from the party, reports Awaz Apni NEWS. After triggering a firestorm for praising founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his new book, Singh had found himself increasingly isolated within the party, which openly dissociated itself from his book. Senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, M. Venkaish Naidu and Sushma Swaraj had already said that the party did not approve those observations made by Jaswant Singh in his book. The decision to expel Singh from the party came during the first sitting of three-day CJP’s “Chintan Baithak” began here Wednesday at Shimla. At least 26 top leaders of the party were attending the conclave, however, Jaswant remained abstained from the moot despite his presence in Shimla.

India's main opposition party has dismissed claims that its government in the state of Gujarat supported violence against Muslims in 2002. The allegations against the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were made in secret video recordings by the Tehelka magazine. They have also been broadcast on local television. The BJP has described the allegations as a conspiracy hatched by India's governing Congress party. Elections are due in Gujarat next month. 'Election stunt' According to official figures, more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, died in the 2002 riots. Independent groups placed the figure closer to 2,000.A spokesman for the BJP, Prakash Javdekar, described the Tehelka report as an election stunt stage-managed by Congress. He said it was a sting operation based on rumours and hearsay. In the secret video footage, apparently filmed over six months, several hardline Hindu politicians, mostly belonging to the BJP, are seen describing how they carried out...