New Delhi, September 09: The RSS seems to have launched a sustained campaign against Jaswant Singh for writing a book on Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
In the last two issues of RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya, Sangh ideologue Devendra Swaroop wrote articles insinuating that Jaswant’s proximity to industrialist Nusli Wadia was the real reason for him writing the book.
Jinnah, whom the Sangh considers the villain behind Partition, was Wadia’s maternal grandfather.
Swaroop feels Jaswant had lobbied with former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to transfer the disputed Jinnah House in Mumbai to Dina Wadia, Jinnah’s daughter and Wadia’s mother.
“There is a dispute in the Bombay High Court over this case dealing with property estimated to be worth about Rs 2,000 crore. The Centre, Wadia and two other relatives of Jinnah are claimants to this property. In 1999, after Vajpayee became the Prime Minister, Wadia established close links with Jaswant who was close to Vajpayee,” Swaroop writes.
He quoted a newspaper report to establish that Jaswant managed to property should be transferred on lease to the Wadia family.
“In March 2008, Jaswant submitted an affidavit in the high court. In the affidavit, he said: ‘ I confirm… that in June 2002, the Centre had conceded that Dina Wadia is the sole inheritor of Jinnah and the rightful claimant to his property’,” Swaroop notes.
Wadia has dismissed the charges.
In a recent television interview, he denied that Jaswant’s book had anything to do with their proximity.
“It’s all nonsense. My grandfather is my grandfather. I don’t need Jaswant Singh to write a certificate for him,” Wadia said.
Swaroop, however, persisted with the attack. He alleged that Jaswant misused his privileges as leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha by making his official staff to research for the book.
–Agencies