Shatrughan Sinha on Rahul Gandhi: Trinamool Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Shatrughan Sinha on Monday praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and said that he has now emerged as the ‘leading contender for the post of Prime Minister’ from the opposition camp. The actor-turned-politician Sinha told PTI that Rahul Gandhi’s 3,570-km yatra was one of the historic yatras the country has witnessed in recent years and compared it with that of LK Gandhi in the early 1990s. Advani’s ‘Ram Rath Yatra’ can be done.
However, the former Union minister sidestepped the question of his return to the Congress, saying “the answer is silent”. He said, “Rahul Gandhi has emerged as a leading and respected leader from this journey. He is now looking very capable for the post of Prime Minister. “Sinha said in a telephonic interview to ‘PTI-Bhasha’,” He has now become the leading leader in the opposition camp (for the post of Prime Minister). Lakhs of people are coming in his support. He has proved his leadership qualities. People have accepted him as a leader.
‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ praised
It is noteworthy that this is the second time in the last three months, when Sinha has praised Rahul Gandhi and his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. When Sinha was asked whether the visit would help the Congress get votes in the next Lok Sabha elections, he replied in the affirmative. Sinha said, “The kind of support he is getting is unprecedented. If it translates into even 20 per cent votes, it will be great for the country and especially for the Congress. The Trinamool MP referred to the political journeys of LK Advani and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh over the years.
The Lok Sabha member said, “We have seen in the past how long journeys are helpful in converting votes. We have seen the visits of LK Advani and Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh. When Mamta Banerjee was injured in West Bengal and later campaigned in a wheelchair, then you have seen the results of the 2021 assembly elections. Sinha had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 1980s. And during the era of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani, he was the star campaigner of the saffron party.
Joined Trinamool Congress in 2022
Sinha, a two-time MP from Patna Sahib, had quit the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and joined the Congress due to differences with the party leadership. He joined the Trinamool Congress in the year 2022 and reached the Lok Sabha on a TMC ticket in the by-election for the Asansol Lok Sabha seat. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar had recently remarked that the yatra would help build a consensus among opposition parties. When asked about this, Sinha said that he agreed with the veteran leader of Maharashtra.
Shatrughan Sinha said, “I agree with Sharad Pawar, the real Chanakya of Indian politics. The yatra can unite the opposition. Everyone wishes, hopes and prays for it.” Sinha said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would prove to be a “game-changer” in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. On the question of leadership tussle in the opposition camp, Sinha said that “the one who gets the maximum number of seats will emerge as the leader.” The public will decide who will become the prime minister. The one who will have the maximum number of seats and public support will be the leader of the opposition camp.
He said, “With all due respect, I must say that the opposition should unite as a nation in general and in particular… when the anti-incumbency wave is on the rise, and you cannot fulfill your promises. If they fail to do so, the people vote against the ruling party. Nothing seems impossible when we have Rahul Gandhi as a leader and Mamata Banerjee as a decisive role.” Asked about the differences between the Congress and the Trinamool, Sinha said he is a “positive person”. And hope that the relations between the two parties will improve in the future.
read this also : Why are boys lagging behind girls? University should do research, says UP Governor
