Amit Shah tears into Shatrughan Sinha over U-turn on Jinnah remark

Bhunaswar, Apr 26: BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday highlighted as to how Shatrughan Sinha's stance on nationalism allegedly changed after joining the Congress. Shah, addressing a rally in Odisha's Mayurbhanj, said that Sinha used to "talk about nationalism" when he was in the BJP, but now praising Jinnah.

Sinha, who recently left BJP and joined Congress, courted controversy when he allegedly lauded Muhammad Ali Jinnah along with Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, and Jawaharlal Nehru, saying they all had a role to play for India's independence. Later, Sinha took a U-turn on his Muhammad Ali Jinnah statement, saying that the remark was a "slip of tongue".

"Shatrughan Sinha has just gone to Congress. When he was in BJP he used to talk about nationalism. Now, he says that Jinnah was a great leader like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. Congress leaders are praising Jinnah,who has divided the country," Shah said.

Sinha had invoked Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah along with Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru while praising his new party.

"The Congress family, from Mahatma Gandhi to Sardar Patel to Mohammad Ali Jinnah to Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi to Netaji Subhash Chnadra Bose. It is their party. They had the most important role in development and freedom of the country. This is the reason why I have come here (in Congress)," Sinha was quoted as saying by news agency ANI during a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara.

Speaking to ANI, Sinha later clarified that he wanted to take Maulana Azad's name but instead, uttered the name of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.