SHIMLA: Criticising a ban imposed on his book by Narender Modi’s government in Gujrat, expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh on Thursday said it amounted to "banning thinking".

"I am greatly saddened by it," Singh told reporters on the Gujarat government's decision to ban his book "Jinnah--India, Partition, Independence".

"The day we start banning books, we are banning thinking," said Singh, who was expelled by BJP for the book in which he has praised the Pakistan founder M A Jinnah.

Asked to comment on BJP's contention that he had been expelled for his uncharitable comments in the book against Sardar Patel and that his views on Jinnah were different from those of L K Advani, he said, "Let me understand why I was expelled. Nobody has told me".

On his continuance as MP from Darjeeling, he said he got a telephonic call from his constituency that the people there wanted him to continue as their representative in Lok Sabha.

Gujarat government last night banned Jaswant's book on Jinnah alleging it was an attempt to defame the image of the country's first Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel by "questioning his patrioric spirit". LINK