Karnataka refuses to ban Jaswant Singh's book on Jinnah

Bangalore /Patna, Aug 22 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has confirmed that his government does not propose to ban Jaswant Singh's book 'Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence'.

Unlike Gujarat, which is also ruled by the BJP, Yediyurappa asserted that his government would not ban the book.

"I am not planning to ban that book," he said.

The Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat blamed Jaswant's book for denigrating the image of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister, who hails from that state and is held in high esteem by most people in India.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad in Patna has refused to comment on Singh's expulsion from the BJP, but was criticial of the party for equating L K Advani with Sardar Patel.

"The BJP had insulted Sardal Patel on the day when they compared Advani with him and branded Advani as the 'Iron Man'. For us, there is only one 'Iron Man' (Sardar Patel). This is the internal matter of the BJP and let the Congress and the BJP should decide for themselves," he said.

In his book, Jaswant Singh observes that Jinnah, Pakistan's founder was ideologically a secular individual, while Patel and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were equally responsible for the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947. (ANI)