CHANDIGARH: Calculating the arithmetic former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha who had quit the
BJP said that it will be an uphill task for the BJP to form the government in the 2019 general elections as he said that the whole opposition is now united against the saffron party setting aside their differences.
"In 2014 election the BJP got 282 seats with 31 per cent vote share and all the other parties got 69 per cent vote share. Now all the parties will be doing a Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) against the saffron party. They have to give BJP a fight by getting together and keeping their egos aside. The main problem was in Uttar Pradesh between the SP and BSP and they joined hands together and others will follow suit and thus it will be difficult for the BJP in the coming elections,’’ Sinha said.
When asked about whom he thinks can lead this grand alliance, Sinha said, "Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014 from a Chief Minister and now the regional parties are at their best and powerful in the country and in many states they have their chief ministers, any CM can become the PM. Leader will come-up automatically.’’
On questioning about Congress President Rahul Gandhi if he can lead his alliance, he avoided the question as he said, "I will not answer on personalities.’’
Sinha said that that in Karnataka BJP did not have the majority still they tried horse trading it is not a healthy sign, this can be repeated in the Lok Sabha elections next year. "In the elections next year people will give their verdict on five years on this government which has not fulfilled any promise and how politics of this country will run in the coming eleven months many changes will take place,’’ he said.
Sinha lashing out at the Modi Government, termed that it’s Pakistan policy as a complete failure. "I would like to say that our government’s Pakistan policy has completely failed. He called the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Navaz Sharif on his swearing-in-ceremony in 2014 and he also suddenly went to Lahore to meet him. But Pakistan be fooled Modi, as they never allowed Indian team to visit Pakistan after Pathankot attack and we allowed them to come here. Pakistan is clever than us in conducting their foreign policy, ’’ he said.
Sinha said that as he is part of citizen’s forum and had visited the Line of Control and Intentional Border in Jammu and Kashmir their villages have been devastated and the villagers their says fight from Delhi or Mumbai. Also, a sarpanch who was ex-service said that if an all-out war broke we will not be able to
take on an inch of land from Pakistan and visa-versa. As troops are stationed in such a manner on both sides and war will not last long.
Sinha, who has been trenchant in his criticism of Modi and his government, said that the internal democracy in the BJP is finished in last four years. With naming Modi and Amit Shah he said that two
persons are running the party, this is not the party he joined in 1993 which was led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani. "Modi is not the issue, issues are issues be it farmers, women-related subjects, economy, youth or foreign policy, we are witnessing certain trends in our country and society which are not health for our country in the long run,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament and dissident leader of BJP Shatrughan Sinha once again dared the party leadership to take action against him. "It is Modi Government and no more BJP as a party. I will
call spade a spade and they call me the traitor. If the party wants me to leave, I will not challenge their wisdom.’’