'It is shocking for young India as BJP had been trying to reinvent itself to identify with the country's youth,' the well-known economist said.

'One should welcome and encourage politicians to write books. Jaswant Singh is the only senior politician to have addressed the issue of partition on the last 50 years after Maulana Azad addressed it in his book, 'India Wins Freedom',' Desai said.

Lord Desai said 'Jaswant Singh had read everything on partition and the book was detailed and well-documented'.

'The book is not dogmatic at all. But why should we be full of prejudices. May be, the Congress was as responsible for the partition as the Muslim League. But why should the BJP bother about it. In fact, Sardar Patel was closely associated with Nehru in the decision to break India in April 1947. By June, it was all over,' he said.

Desai, whose yet-to-be-released new book 'Rediscovery of India' also revisits the partition of India but 'from a different perspective', said 'he has more or less gone through the same material as Jaswant Singh to research his book.'

'He has looked at every document and records. We can always have different ideas, but as a writer one must have the idea to express them without being discriminated. It happens in America all the time. People raise controversial issues. Why should people in India be reluctant to raise questions that can be debated?' Desai said.