'Jaswant's revelations shameful, probe ordered'

New Delhi, July 17: The Congress today demanded a thorough examination of the revelations made by former external affairs Minister Jaswant Singh in his autobiography, regarding the ransom demanded by terrorists who were freed at Kandahar following the hijacking of an Indian Airline plane, and said if the account is true, the BJP must apologise to the nation.

''If the account given by the former Foreign Minister in his book is false,t hen the BJP must take serious action against him and expel him from the party,'' Congress spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi said, adding if no action was taken, then the revelations would be deemed to be true.

Briefing mediapersons here, he said the revelations made by Mr Singh has brought out the BJP in its ''true colours.'' ''A party which had been in power for six years, including when unprecedented incidents involving terrorists had taken place, was now accusing the Congress and the UPA Government of surrendering before the terrorists,'' Mr Chaturvedi said, adding three issues raised by Mr Singh were a matter of concern for the country.

''That the then Foreign Minister had accompanied the terrorists on an official plane to Kandhar was something shameful. Not only the terrorists, but a bag containing explosives was also taken to Kandhar in the same plane, on the demand of terrorist Masood Azhar,'' he said, quoting the book.

Further citing passages from the autobiography, Mr Chaturvedi said the terrorists had demanded a ransom of Rs 900 crores in exchange for the release of passengers of the hijacked plane. ''Mr Singh had kept mum on whether the ransom was paid but he had not denied having paid the ransom,'' he said, adding this raised a serious question as to whether this was the money which was being used by terrorists to run their training camps or used to carry out attacks on the Akshardham temple, Raghunath Mandir, Varanasi, Mumbai and other places.

''People expect a reply to these questions from the BJP,'' he said.

UNI