Jaswant Singh's son quits BJP, says joining the party was a mistake

Jaipur, Sep 22: Manvendra Singh, BJP MLA from Sheo, Rajasthan and son of former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh , quit the BJP on Saturday.

"Kamal ki phool hamari bhool thi (Choosing the lotus flower was our mistake)," said Manvendra while announcing his decision at his Swabhiman rally in Rajasthan's Barmer district.

"I will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from home," he said, referring to the Barmer-Jaisalmer parliamentary constituency which in the past has been represented by his father.

The MLA from Sheo said he has no plan to join the Congress as of now.

"I am not in touch with any Congress leader," he told reporters after addressing a public meeting at Pachpadra in Barmer, where some supporters raised pro-Congress slogans.

He said he will meet his supporters and will take a decision based on what the people wanted.

Singh said the 'swabhiman' mision began in 2014 when his father Jaswant Singh was denied the party ticket in the Lok Sabha polls.

He said Narendra Modi, now prime minister and the then Gujarat Chief Minister, had called him up saying he was not present at the meeting where that decision was taken.

Manvendra Singh said Modi had then asked him to remain patient. "But the limit of my patience is now over" he said at the well-attended rally. He said those who had supported the family in 2014 had faced hardships, and this had now become an issue of self-respect.

Singh said two people from Delhi and one from Jaipur were responsible for his father not getting the party's nomination in 2014.

Singh concluded his address by chanting, 'Kamal ka phool, badi bhool.' His supporters shouted 'Kamal ka phool, hamari bhool (Picking Lotus, our mistake).

The bitterness between BJP and Manvendra Singh became evident when Chitra Singh, wife of Manvendra Singh slammed CM Vasundhara Raje and her government and said that people of Jaisalmer and Barmer have been suffering under this rule.

Manvendra did not even participate in Vasundhara's Gaurav Yatra during its visit to Barmer.

Jaswant Singh's family is believed to have drifted apart from the BJP after the veteran leader was denied a ticket by the party during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.