Shimla, Aug 19 - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled its veteran leader Jaswant Singh from the primary leadership of the party Wednesday, two days after the release of his controversial book in praise of Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

The decision to expel the 71-year-old leader, who has held the portfolios of finance, defence and external affairs in BJP-led governments, was taken by the party's parliamentary board, said BJP president Rajnath Singh.

He has also been stripped of all party posts.

'He is now not a member of any forum of the party. I tried to inform him yesterday on the phone but he had left for Shimla,' the BJP chief said about the leader who arrived in Shimla Tuesday afternoon for the three-day 'chintan baithak' (introspection session) of the party.

Jaswant Singh, he added, had been informed in the morning that he should not attend the chintan baithak that took the decision to expel him during its first sitting at the historic Peterhoff complex.

On Tuesday, Rajnath Singh said the BJP had dissociated itself from the Jaswant Singh's views on Jinnah.

'Yesterday, I issued a statement about the BJP dissociating itself from Jaswant Singh's views. The party discussed the matter at the chintan baithak and it was decided to expel him.

'I put up the issue before the parliamentary board today, which decided to cancel his primary membership and he has been expelled from the party,' the BJP chief said.

Reacting to the expulsion, columnist and BJP ideologue Swapan Dasgupta said: 'For the crime of writing a book or that matter taking a non conventional view (on Jinnah) you can't expel a person.