Party veterans were ill treated, Advaniji cried when I left BJP: Shatrughan Sinha

Patna: Formerly with the BJP, but now a Congress candidate from Bihar’s Patna Sahib, actor Shatrughan Sinha has lamented the way seniors in his former party were treated by the leadership.

Sinha, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last stint with the BJP, has said he was mentored by party veteran L K Advani, who cried when he switched to the Congress.

Sinha was overlooked for a ticket in favour of Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib. The Congress gave him the opportunity to fight elections.

“Vajpayeeji was like a father figure to me. Advaniji groomed me for 20 years. He didn’t stop me from joining the Congress, only cried,” Sinha told NDTV.
Sinha referred to Vajpayee and Advani as stalwarts.

He said the difference between the government of Vajpayee and that of Modi is that the former government was known for its 'Lok Shahi' (democracy) and the latter shows traits of 'Tana Shahi' (autocracy).

Referring to Amit Shah replacing Advani from Gandhinagar, Sinha said the party's veterans were ill-treated. "No big leader contacted him," he said.

Within days of being dropped from Patna Sahib, Sinha joined the Congress. He said it was the "right decision, in the right direction and a better direction."

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