Not quitting BJP, I am here to stay: Shatrughan Sinha

Shatrughan Sinha was a Union Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. He has been with the BJP for a long time.

With former finance minister Yashwant Sinha having quit the BJP, all eyes were on another dissenter Shatrughan Sinha. Both Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha have on several occasions strongly criticised Modi-led government's decisions openly.

"There were rumours that I would quit the party because I had not been given the ticket. But, I am clarifying it today that I am here to stay and I am not going to go anywhere," media reports quoted Shatrughan Sinha as saying in Patna.

Shatrughan Sinha was a Union Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. He has been with the BJP for a long time. Since PM Modi came to power in 2014, it was being said that the actor turned politician was kept away from party affairs. This seems to have irked Shatrughan. The BJP also did not involve Shatrughan in the campaigning for Bihar polls last year.

When Nitish Kumar severed ties with BJP and formed an alliance with the RJD and Congress ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Shatrughan Sinha had praised Nitish, leaving the BJP fuming. Recently, he met Lalu Yadav's sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap, and praised them. Both Sinhas have even jointly attended several events and spoken against the Centre.

Yashwant Sinha quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (April 21). The leader said he will end his ties with the BJP and will not join any political party

In a public function held in Patna, Sinha said, "Today I am taking 'sanyas' from any kind of party politics, today I am ending all ties with the BJP. I will fight for democracy."

Attacking the government, Sinha said that the democratic institutions are being undermined, cites the press conference called by four senior judges of the Supreme Court. He also hits out at the government for the Election Commission.

Sinha was Minister of Finance (1990-1991 under Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar and March 1998 - July 2002 under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Minister of External Affairs July 2002 - May 2004). His son Jayant Sinha, a consultant and investor, won the 2014 elections for the Hazaribagh constituency and is currently serving as Minister of State for Civil Aviation in Narendra Modi's cabinet.