Targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ideological forbear, Jaswant Singh said the organisation needed to decide once and for all if it was in politics or not.

The RSS usually projects itself from being away from the BJP and its affairs, but is known to advise it from time to time and the party follows it.

Commenting on party MP Varun Gandhi for his hate speeches during the Lok Sabha election campaign, Jaswant Singh said he believed that Varun was 'not extremist but his comments were' and the entire issue had been mishandled by the party that failed to take a clear position on him.

Jaswant Singh, who has held defence, finance and external affairs portfolios in BJP-led governments, was Wednesday expelled from the party for his controversial book 'Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence' in which he has praised Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

His book created a huge controversy for it went against the BJP's position that Jinnah was responsible for the country's partition. Singh also blamed India's first home minister Sardar Patel and first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the partition.