Yashwant Sinha launches forum, many leaders attend

New Delhi: Sidelined BJP leader and former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday launched a “Rashtra Manch”, a political action group to highlight “burning issues” that he said have been “worrying” the nation. Launching the forum on the 70th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s 1948 assassination, Mr Sinha said some of the conditions that the country was facing 70 years back and for which the “fearless messiah” (Gandhi) had sacrificed his life continue to exist even today, and added that democracy and democratic institutions are under threat.

The BJP leader also visited Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi at Rajghat on Tuesday morning. He said the country was living in fear, even members of the ruling BJP, except him and Shatrughan Sinha, and any effort to speak the truth was construed as “ish ninda” (blasphemy). Mr Sinha said facts were being “made to order” even on issues like employment. Mr Sinha has been publicly criticising the Narendra Modi government’s economic policies and its style of functioning.

The event, which was attended by fellow party MP Shatrughan Sinha and the leaders of various Opposition parties, also had many AAP supporters as two senior party leaders, Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh, were present. Besides the two leaders, Congress’ Renuka Chowdhary, TMC’s Dinesh Trivedi, NCP’s Tariq Anwar and Majeed Memon, former Gujarat CM Suresh Mehta, JD(U)’s Pavan Varma, RLD’s Jayant Chowdhary, rebel JD(U) leader Uday Narayan Choudhary and some farmers’ leaders were also present at the event.

Attacking the Narendra Modi government over its economic policies, foreign policy, misuse of government agencies against political opponents and not taking action against the “bheedtantra” (mobocracy), Mr Sinha said his forum was not associated with any political outfit but was a “national movement” on serious issues.

When asked why he had joined the event, Patna Sahib MP Shatrughan Sinha said he had done so as he had not been given any forum within his party to express his views, but added his decision to back the front should not be seen as “anti-party activity” as it was in the national interest.

Mr Yashwant Sinha, whose son Jayant Sinha is minister of state for civil aviation, said the Modi government had reduced farmers to “the status of beggars” and accused it of presenting “made to order” statistics to suit its interests.

“Dialogue and debate in the country have become coarse, one-sided and dangerous... It seems the mob has the job of giving justice,” claimed Mr Sinha.