PATNA/NEW DELHI, Aug 25: Virtually daring the party to take action, sulking BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha did not hide his disappointment at being “ignored” by the party leadership and at the goings on in the organization ahead of assembly elections in BIhar.
Reacting to reports that the party leadership was planning to take action against him after the Bihar assembly elections for his recent statements, seen as anti-party, the 69-year-old actor turned MP from Patna Sahib today made a series of comments on the Twitter.
“After some unofficial news channel reports-and there’s nothing official about it – people are seeking my reactions on unconfirmed and unofficial report that BJP will take action after the Bihar elections.
“I will not comment on unofficial report spread by vested interests. However one shouldn’t forget Newton’s third law ‘Every action has an equal and opposite reaction’,” tweeted Sinha who is said to be miffed at being “sidelined” in the party and the Government.
A top party leader had yesterday hinted at action against Sinha. “We will deal with him after the counting of votes,” he had said, when reporters asked him about what the party planned to do with him in the wake of his recent comments.
“Can you imagine a person who won with record margin in the last general election from Patna Saheb and who has been BJP’s star campaigner for long is not in the party core committee for election?
“My name and picture are missing from all party posters and hoardings even in my Lok Sabha constituency and I am either not invited in programmes or called at the eleventh hour,” Sinha, second term Lok Sabha MP, told PTI.
Sinha had recently praised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has come under severe attack from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a man of development. He had held a long meeting with Nitish on a day the Prime Minister had attacked the Bihar CM at a big public meeting in Bihar.
He had also asked the party to announce a chief ministerial candidate in Bihar, while on another occasion he suggested that Ram Vilas Paswan could be the NDA candidate for the top post.
“I believe we should have announced our CM candidate. Not putting forward a candidate is a result of some confusion in our own camp,” he had tweeted yesterday.
Sinha’s meeting with and praise of Nitish Kumar, comments against suspension of 24 Congress MPs and signing on a petition against capital punishment to Mumbai serial blast accused Yakub Menon have embarassed BJP ahead of Bihar poll.
Asked to elaborate, Sinha said a section of Bihar BJP leaders are afraid of his popularity and were working against him “and even poisioning the ears of the central leadership against me” but refused to name his detractors.
“Some Bihar BJP leaders are trying to erect a wall between me and the central leadership by indulging in ‘chugli’ (whisper) against me. These people are afraid of my personality and fear I might overshadow them among public and thus harm them politically,” he said.
Using a popular Hindi saying, the actor-politician said “if I draw crowd to party functions through my presence, it ultimately helps party.” He added that he was being ignored now.
“I find state party leaders lacking sportsman spirit which I followi in professional as well as in political life,” he remarked.
“I have time and again made it clear that I am not in the race for chief ministership of Bihar and wish to stay in national politics. But these leaders still work against me,” Sinha said.
Asked if he would meet either Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah on going-ons in the party, he said “I would love to meet them and explain the truth if they call me.”
He described the Prime Minister as “dashing, dynamic and action hero” and thanked him for attending the wedding of his son at Mumbai recently.
Asked if he was peeved at not being included in the central ministry, Sinha, who was Health Minister in Vajpayee’s Government, said “though my supporters and family members raise this question, I tell them it is the prerogative of the Prime Minister to choose his ministers.”
Sinha was present at the first engagement of Modi during his July 25 visit to Bihar but was not seen in his last three rallies at Muzaffarpur, Gaya and Saharsa.
Sinha had also created unease in BJP by meeting Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal earlier this month.
“Had a very pleasant and heart warming meeting with Sri. Arvind Kejriwal and family at their home,” he had said. (PTI)
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