Everybody free in BJP to kick "ideological football": Jaswant

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Jaswant Singh, who was
unceremoniously ousted from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for
"attacking" the party's "core ideology", had described the
saffron organisation as "an open field where one gets to kick
an ideological football everyday".

The June 9 letter Singh had written to the party's core
group calling for a "deep review" of the outcome of the Lok
Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) elections raised the
hackles of the party leadership.

The letter, which had also set the stage for his
expulsion two-and-a-half-months later, had lamented that the
analyses of the defeat in the 2004 parliamentary elections and
Rajasthan Assembly polls had not been made public.

"The party has become an open field where one gets an
ideological football every day. Everybody is free to kick it
anywhere as there is no goalpost," Singh, 71, had said in the
letter accessed by PTI.

In the missive that brought him into confrontation with
the top party brass, Singh raised questions about rewards and
performance (of leaders during the elections).

"When the top leadership (Advani) can accept
responsibility (for the poor showing), why not us or those
managing the party affairs (Rajnath and Arun Jaitley). Is
there no link between rewards and results? Or do we claim
credit for success and lay the blame for failure at other's
door?" he said.

The expelled BJP stalwart was referring to the
appointment of Jaitley as leader of the Opposition in theRajya
Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament) notwithstanding the
party's dismal showing in this year's Lok Sabha polls for
which he was one of the key campaign managers.

About the analyses of the outcome of the 2004 LS polls
and the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Singh said "we are
still not aware of the results of the deliberations on the
debacles" and wondered whether the review of the 2009 LS polls
would meet the same fate.

In an oblique reference to the bickering in the party, he
said, "a collective voice can be born only out of mutual
respect and cooperation which is not happening. As a result,
the trouble will increase, it is imminent."

He had requested the members of the core group to make "a
deep review of the elections within a time frame. Any delay
will be hazardous. A review (of the elections) will help
establish the principle of accountability. Decisive action
needs to be seen to have been taken". PTI SK
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