Unhappy over ticket denial Jaswant Singh to contest as independent, won't quit BJP

**Jodhpur:**Upset over denial of ticket, formerUnion Minister and BJP veteran Jaswant Singh said he hasdecided to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independentfrom the Barmer seat and will file his nomination paperstoday.Singh, however, is not resigning from the party yet andsaid he would consult his colleagues before taking that step.

“Yes, I am filing my nomination papers tomorrow fromBarmer. Independent or not, will depend on the party’sattitude,” he said when asked whether he would contestdespite denial of a ticket from his home constituency.The 76-year-old leader, who currently represents Darjeeling in Lok Sabha, is upset over the Barmer seat beinggiven to recent entrant from Congress Sonaram Chowdhry.To a specific query about his resignation in the wake ofhis 48-hour deadline to BJP, Singh said, “I will speak about this after consulting my colleagues and others in Barmer andthen take a decision.”

Singh said nobody in the BJP had tried to reach him eversince he set the 48-hour deadline for quitting the party.“If I am not emotional about my home and my party, thenwhat am I going to be emotional about… If the party decidesto talk to me, they know my numbers and how I can be reached.

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Since I came here, nobody has tried to reach me,” he said, putting the onus of preventing his exit on BJP.On BJP chief Rajnath Singh’s remarks that his serviceswill be utilised appropriately, he said, “I am not a piece offurniture. The choice of the adjective ‘adjust’ itself isindicative of the mentality. You cannot adjust with principlesand it is insulting.”

Slamming the BJP President’s remarks that the party willcompensate him after the elections, Singh said, “I reject thethought and I reject the mentality behind it. Assumption isthat they shall form the government and offer me somethrottle. They can keep it for themselves.“He said the “thoughts behind these chain of words arefull of arrogance and disrespect”.

On posters of Narendra Modi being torn up by JaswantSingh’s supporters in Rajasthan, the former Union Ministersaid, “If the posters are being torn up, then I think theparty has to reflect deeply why is this happening”.Singh said, “Throughout my political life I have workedfor the welfare of the party according to what situationsdemand. I do not approve adjustment politics.”

The senior BJP leader had attacked the partyleadership for denying him a ticket and said one needs todistinguish between the “real” and the “fake” BJP. He alsoalleged that the party has been taken over by “outsiders”.He has been demanding a party ticket from his homeconstituency of Barmer, saying this is his last election. Herepresented the Darjeeling constituency in the outgoing LokSabha, from where the party has nominated former Rajya Sabhamember S S Ahluwalia.

Singh was a senior Minister in the Atal BihariVajpayee-led NDA government in which he held importantportfolios of External Affairs, Defence and Finance.Meanwhile, Manvendra Singh, Jaswant Singh’s son, who iscurrently an MLA in the Vasundhara Raje-led government in Rajasthan, has also indicated that he might follow in hisfather’s footsteps.

When contacted, Manvendra said that he was “extremelystressed out” and was resting.Rejecting reports that he has written to the BJP aboutthe current situation, he said, “I have not written to theparty and I have informed the party that I am stressed out andneed some rest.”

PTI