Jaswant Singh expelled from the BJP

Shimla, Aug 19 (ANI): Taking stern action against former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday divested him form the party's primary membership.

Party president Rajnath Singh said: " Jaswant Singh is expelled from the BJP."

Singh, who arrived here last evening for the Chintan Baithak of the party, kept away from the meeting by changing his hotel.

According to sources Singh kept away citing bad health.

He also skipped a dinner hosted by Leader of Opposition L. K Advani.

Singh is in the limelight over his newly released book on Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah, "Jinnah, India - Partition, Independence." The BJP has distanced itself from the book and Singh's views on Jinnah.

BJP is meeting here to discuss the causes for the party's defeat in 2009 general elections and its strategy for the future.

The meeting is also likely to take up the issue of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who has refused to quit as Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly.

Over 25 senior party leaders, including members of the party's parliamentary board and chief ministers Narendra Modi of Gujarat, Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh, Ramesh Pokhriyal of Uttarakhand and B.S. Yeddyurappa of Karnataka, will participate in the three-day meeting. (ANI)