Jaswant Singh slams Vasundhara Raje, Rajnath Singh for 'betraying' him

RAJASTHAN: Narrative of his own victimisation dominated former BJP leader Jaswant Singh’s first speech to supporters after filing nomination as an independent candidate from the Barmer Lok Sabha constituency on Monday. Aiming directly at Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and BJP president Rajnath Singh for "betraying" him twice, Singh detailed how he helped both of them rise in the party hierarchy and yet both betrayed not just him but "the principles and ideas of the BJP".

To drive home his point, the 76-year-old leader recounted the events that led to the rejection of his request to contest what he has termed his "final election" from Barmer, where his ancestral village of Jasol is located. "Since the constituency is very large, I had requested (party president) Rajnath Singh to announce my candidature early so that there’s enough time for campaigning.

However, the dates for making official announcement (of my candidature) kept on shifting from March 8 to 11 to 13. Rajnath even told me that he will call to discuss about it. However, on the 19th they announced that a Congress party member (former Barmer MP Colonel Sonaram Chaudhary) who had recently contested in the assembly elections and lost, had crossed over and was being given the ticket," said Singh, who has held portfolios of finance, defence and external affairs at the Centre Singh reminded the crowd numbering more than 20,000 at Barmer town’s Adarsh stadium that he had an important role to play in making Raje the CM in 2003 and Rajnath the party president.

Yet, he said, "Rajnath Singh has betrayed me twice. In 2009, over a phone call he had told me that I was being expelled from the party. Even a peon is not expelled in such a manner. It was on the request of Nitin Gadkari and LK Advani that I joined the party again despite my family recommending me against it. I regret the decision now."

The remarks came a day after Raje held an urgent meeting with all legislators, district presidents and other important party functionaries from Barmer and Jaisalmer districts to tell them that she was in no mood to tolerate dissent and they were expected to work towards ensuring that the party’s formal candidate from Barmer wins.