Sinha says Mamata offered self in exchange for Kandahar hostages

Kolkata, Mar 13: Mamata Banerjee had offered herself as a hostage in exchange for the passengers of Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar in 1999, former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said.

He said that he had worked with Mamata under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. I can tell you that she is still a fighter. "I want to tell you today that when the Indian Airlines plane was hijacked to Kandahar, there was a discussion happening in the Cabinet. Mamata ji offered to go herself as a hostage on the condition that the Indians are released in exchange. She was ready to make that sacrifice," Sinha said ahead of joining the TMC.

Sinha was inducted into the TMC in the presence of party leader Derek O'Brien. "The tipping point was the attack on Mamata Ji in Nandigram. It was the moment of decision to join the TMC and support Mamata Ji." "The country is facing an unprecedented situation today. The strength of democracy lies in the strength of the institutions of democracy. All these institutions including the judiciary have become weak now," Sinha said according to news agency ANI.

He said that the BJP under Atal Bihari Vajpayee believed in consensus, but today's government believes in crushing and conquering. "Shame on BJP. Instead of sympathising with Mamata injured in an attack they are making fun of it," he tweeted on Wednesday. "The battle for Bengal is the battle for India. The voters in Bengal will vote for the future of India in this election," he had written on Twitter a few days back.