Madan Lal Khurana quits BJP

Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party leader Madan Lal Khurana on Monday announced his decision to quit the party, saying he could not work in the organisation till L K Advani was associated with it.

"I have decided to dissociate myself from BJP till Advani is in the party," the former Delhi Chief Minister said in New Delhi.

He said he would formally intimate his decision to the party leadership in a couple of days along with the reasons thereof. The former Delhi strongman, who was suspended in March after he joined a rally of expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti, said he would also inform the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leadership about his decision.

Attacking Advani, Khurana criticised the former Deputy Prime Minister over his recent reported remarks on Kandahar.

Advani had reportedly said he had differed with the National Democratic Alliance Government's decision in 1999 to release three terrorists in exchange for Indian Airlines passengers held hostage by hijackers in Kandahar.

"He is trying to show himself as a hero and prove Atal Bihari Vajpayee a zero," Khurana said.

Khurana termed as "anti-national" the act by then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to take three terrorists to Kandahar and said he would "reveal" certain things about the incident soon.