LS: No 'partition' yet for Jaswant from BJP

Jaswant Singh could stick out like a sore thumb for BJP even in the Lok Sabha after its attempt to remove him from the Chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee has been virtually rejected by Speaker Meira Kumar.

This is because of the sitting arrangement for Singh in the Lok Sabha, where he is accommodated in the first row among the main opposition leaders, including BJP stalwarts like L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi.

So far, Kumar has not taken any decision on the existing sitting arrangement for the expelled BJP leader for the winter session of Parliament which is likely to commence from the second week of November.

Being the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha before the Lok Sabha polls, Singh was accommodated in the first row on the basis of his seniority.

"Nothing has been done. But the Speaker has to think about it. The allocation is done by the Speaker," Lok Sabha sources said, maintaining that a new seat for Singh need not necessarily be on the back benches.

Singh, elected from Darjeeling in West Bengal on a BJP ticket, has been virtually at war with the party and had even said that his son Manvendra Singh has left BJP.

Lok Sabha sources said the issue over Singh is a unique case in Parliamentary history as he was the first leader whose removal has been demanded by the party that had recommended him for the high post.