Jaswant opens can of worms, says I covered up for Advani on Kandahar

NEW DELHI: Breaking his decade-long silence, former foreign minister Jaswant Singh sought to embarrass L K Advani by saying that he "covered" up for him when he said that the former home minister was not aware that he was going to Kandahar with three terrorists during the 1999 hijack episode.

He also said that Advani was aware of the decision to release the terrorists in exchange for freedom of over 160 hostages kept in the Indian Airlines plane that was hijacked.

"Yes, he did," Singh, who was expelled two days ago from the BJP, told NDTV when asked whether Advani knew that Singh was going to Kandahar with three terrorists.

There has been a controversy on the issue with Advani claiming a few years ago that he was not not in the know of Jaswant Singh going on a plane with three dreaded terrorists to Kandahar.

Singh was asked why he said during the election campaign that Advani did not not know that he was going to Kandahar with the terrorists and whether he covered up for Advani.

"I'm sorry I did," he said when pointedly told that this was a serious thing he was saying that he covered up for Advani.

Singh said he did not reveal this during the campaign. "I tried to cover it. I treated it as part of my continuing sense of commitment and loyalty," he said.