Jaswant Singh's services will be utilised appropriately: Rajnath Singh

NEW DELHI: After denying ticket to Jaswant Singh from Barmer, BJP today sought to placate him saying that he is a senior leader and his services will be utilised appropriately.

Amid reports that Jaswant Singh is planning to quit BJP, party president Rajnath Singh insisted that his "respect" cannot be determined on the basis of ticket.

"Jaswant Singh is a senior leader of the party and we respect him. His dignity (pratistha) cannot be measured in terms of tickets. We will utilize his services and experience appropriately," Rajnath Singh told reporters here.

Asked whether the party will take action against him if he contests as an independent as is being reported, the BJP chief dismissed it as a hypothetical question.

BJP has snubbed Jaswant Singh, former External Affairs Minister, by denying him a ticket from Barmer which he wished. The party instead fielded recent entrant Col Sonaram Choudhary, who defected from Congress.

The denial of ticket to Singh, who is considered close to L K Advani, came a day after the party patriarch was virtually forced to choose the Gandhinagar seat in Gujarat, against his wishes to contest from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.