Expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh has invoked the Mahabharat to defend his "covering up" for L K Advani during the election campaign that the former Home Minister did not know that he was going with three terrorists in a plane to Kandahar. "Ashwathama-narowa,kunjarowa," Singh quoted in his defence from the famous battle field remarks of dharmaraj Yudishtar to Dronacharya suggesting the death of his son suppressing the fact that actually it was an elephant with the same name that died. Asked if he regretted that he covered up for Advani,Singh shot back in an interview,"No,not at all. This is great difficulty. I said it in the House also." He said he did not regret it because he found it necessary to stand up for a colleague. "I spent my early grounding as a soldier. It is the nation first always and every time,your colleagues next always and every time and your own personal good last always and every time. "I am a lover of horses. I have grown with horses. You first have to go and groom the animal,water it,feed it and only then look after myself. The colleague was in difficulty so I stood up for a colleague. I don't think I have committed any wrong," he said. Singh was asked about his critics like Venkaiah Naidu saying that he had admitted not to have spoken truth then,so what was the guarantee that he was speaking truth now. "It is for Naidu to reflect on what he says. He was not a member of the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security). He is a close friend and former colleague so I don't want to dwell into it," he said and recited the incident in Mahabharat.
