Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha meet Stalin; What are the duo up to?

Both leaders have irked the BJP several times in the past by meeting some opposition leaders but also praising them.

Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Friday met DMK Working President MK Stalin in Chennai. The meeting assumes significance as both the Sinhas been staunch critics of the Modi government at the Centre.

Yashwant Sinha had on April 21 said that he has quit the BJP. Soon after Yashwant Sinha quit, all eyes were on another dissenter Shatrughan Sinha. Shatrughan Sinha, however, said on the same day that he would stay in the BJP.

Both leaders have irked the BJP several times in the past by meeting some opposition leaders but also praising them.

Their meeting with Stalin also comes at a time when frantic meetings are being held to stitch an anti BJP front. Even Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had met Stalin in this regard. What will the Sinha duo do before 2019 Lok Sabha elections is something that would be closely watched. Will they support these efforts of the regional parties to stitch and anti-BJP front?

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 had openly criticised BJP-led government's demonetisation move and had said that the democratic institutions are being undermined under the Modi regime.

Yashwant 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.