rediff

New Delhi, Mar 20: Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh on Sunday suspended former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana from the primary membership of the party for anti-party utterances over the last couple of weeks.

The action follows the Khurana's announcement that he would attend expelled party leader Uma Bharati's rally in New Delhi on Tuesday.

A letter signed by party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has been dispatched to Khurana's house by hand. No time has been given to Khurana to explain his conduct.

"Because of your utterances and anti-party activities in last few weeks, you are being suspended from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect," the letter said.

This is the second time within ten months that Khurana has been suspended from the party. Last year, he was expelled from the party for asking then party president L K Advani to resign following the latter's controversial statement on Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Advani had described Jinnah as a secular man.

Khurana was later reinducted into the party at the behest of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Speaking to rediff.com, Khurana said he will first study the news reports in Monday's newspapers and then give his reaction in Parliament. "I would speak to the media only in parliament house complex," he said.

Three days ago, Khurana had, at a press conference in Delhi, again lambasted Advani and Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan for not heeding to the plight of the Delhiites and taking no action.