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Authorities in the western Indian state of Gujarat state have banned a controversial book on Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
The book has been written by Jaswant Singh, an expelled leader of the Hindu nationalist main opposition party BJP. The BJP government in Gujarat said it banned the book for its "defamatory references" to Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first home minister. The late Mr Patel is a political icon in his home state of Gujarat. Described often as the "Iron Man of India", Mr Patel played an important role in the country's independence and the integration of the different states in the Indian Union.
"The book has been banned because it contains defamatory references regarding Vallabhai Patel who is considered as the architect of the modern India," a statement by the Gujarat government says.
Jaswant Singh's book is a serious academic exercise, one long overdue. A serious political party should have space for that Pratap Bhanu Mehta, analyst
"It is a bid to defame Patel by distorting historical facts. So, the state government has decided to ban the book with immediate effect for wider public interest." Jaswant Singh said he was "saddened" by the banning of the book in Gujarat. "The day we start banning books, we are banning thinking," he said. Jaswant Singh book examines the role of Congress party leader and the country's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mr Patel in the partition of India in 1947. He writes that Mr Patel was "far off the mark" in many ways with his projections about the division and future of India. The book was released earlier this week and immediately created a controversy. source: bbc.com