The actor turned politician had joined the Congress on April 6 after leaving the BJP.
The 72-year-old had been sidelined by the party leadership for criticising the Modi government’s policies.
In what could offer fresh ammunition to the BJP to target the Congress, Shatrughan Sinha has described the latter as Jinnah’s party. Speaking at an election rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara also revealed the reason behind him breaking his years old association with the BJP to join the Congress. The actor-turned-politician will contest against BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar’s Patna Sahib constituency that will go on polls in the last phase on May 19.
“Congress family from Mahatma Gandhi to Sardar Patel to Mohd Ali Jinnah to Jawaharlal Nehru…it’s their party, they had the most important role in development and freedom of the country. This is the reason I have come here,” Shatrughan Sinha said.
However, later he clarified his statement saying, “Whatever I said yesterday was slip of tongue. I wanted to say Maulana Azad but uttered Muhammad Ali Jinnah”.
#WATCH Shatrughan Sinha, Congress candidate from Bihar’s Patna Sahib on his statement,”from Mahatma Gandhi to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, all part of Congress Parivar”: Whatever I said yesterday was slip of tongue. I wanted to say Maulana Azad but uttered Muhammad Ali Jinnah. pic.twitter.com/N2s63aOufj
The actor turned politician had joined the Congress on April 6 after leaving the BJP, he was part of for nearly three decades. Announcing his decision Sinha had said he was leaving with a heavy heart. The 72-year-old had been sidelined by the party leadership for criticising the Modi government’s policies.
He was also denied election ticket from Patna Sahib, the seat he won in 2014, and was replaced by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Soon after joining the grand old party, the Congress fielded him against Prasad from Patna Sahib constituency.
“It’s with a heavy heart and immense pain that I finally bid adieu to my old party, for reasons best known to all of us, on 6th April, which also happens to be the Sansthapna Diwas of BJP. I don’t hold any ill will for our people as they were like my family and I was groomed in,” Sinha had said on joining the Congress.
#WATCH Shatrughan Sinha, Congress in Chhindwara, MP: Congress family from Mahatma Gandhi to Sardar Patel to Mohd Ali Jinnah to Jawaharlal Nehru…it’s their party, they had the most important role in development & freedom of the country. This is the reason I’ve come here. (26.4) pic.twitter.com/HJg3EV8rNE
Shatrughan Sinha had repeatedly questioned the treatment meted out party stalwarts like L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha. Sinha had served as Union Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare from January 2003 to May 2004 in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.