RANCHI: BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha has termed demonetisation, one of the big bang economic reforms of the Modi government, as a perfect example of dictatorship and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as salt on the wounds of people already battling cash woes. The actor-turned-politician, who met ailing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi on Saturday, cleared the air on his political leanings, saying though he is still very much with the BJP, he always tries to present the ‘real picture’ to the party’s top leadership.
He was flanked by Hemant Soren, leader of opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed and former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, as he met the ailing RJD chief on Saturday. Talking to media persons after meeting the RJD chief, Sinha said he believed Lalu is the victim of a political conspiracy and, hence, has the sympathy of the people of Bihar and across the country.
“A lot of people believe that the likes of Lalu Yadav, (Congress MP) Shashi Tharoor and (former Union finance minister) P Chidambaram, along with their family members, are being targeted either because of personal enmity or a political conspiracy,” Sinha said. Hence, people have sympathy for them, he said.
Terming RJD scion Tejashwi Yadav as the most eligible candidate for the post of Bihar CM, Sinha, who is nicknamed ‘Shotgun’, said, “I have family ties with Laluji and believe that his (younger) son is the face of Bihar’s future.”
Soren, the executive president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) said the RJD chief told them to prepare a blueprint for the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “Whoever has the most numbers will be the face of the grand alliance in Jharkhand,” Soren said. The closed-door meeting lasted for more than three hours.