Shatrughan Sinha attacks PM Modi, Amit Shah for sidelining veteran BJP leaders

Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers on Monday for the post of Congress president.

File photo

New Delhi: BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah for sidelining veterans like LK Advani, Murli Manohar and Yashwant Sinha.

The actor-turned-politician criticised the duo, without naming them, for not responding to queries being raised in the national interest by Sinha, Arun Shourie and he (Shatrughan Sinha) himself.

He referred to estranged Maharashtra Congress leader Shahzad Poonawala's rant against Rahul Gandhi who is set to be declared the new Congress president and how Bharatiya Janata Party leaders used the remarks to target the Congress.

Shehzad Poonawala vented his "Shahzaada frustration" in what was clearly an "internal matter" of their party. But maybe due to wrong briefing, or due to anger & confusion, some of our own people & leaders have jumped in to shed crocodile tears for him on RAGA's elevation..1>2

— Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) December 5, 2017

On the other hand our own “One man show & Two man army” have been giving unbecoming treatment to some of our most deserving & senior leaders like respected Advani Ji, Murli Manohar Joshi Ji & most deserving Kirti Azad. And why is the leadership not responding to queries...2>3 — Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) December 5, 2017

....being raised in the National interest time and again by learned & intellectual leaders like Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie & yours truly Shatrughana Sinha. What is right for Peter should be right for Paul too! Probably again because of some “internal matter” of the party..!!?? — Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) December 5, 2017

Advani and Joshi, both founding members of the BJP, were made members of the party's margdarshak mandal after PM Modi came to power in May 2014.

Sinha and Shourie - both former Union ministers - have been vocal against the policies of the Modi government, especially demonetisation and the GST. 

The BJP MP's remarks came after PM Modi 'congratulated' the Congress for the 'Aurangzeb raj' as the Gandhi scion filed his nomination papers for the party's chief post on Monday.

The 47-year-old filed papers at the Congress headquarters amid cheers and celebrations by party leaders and workers. His mother and incumbent party president Sonia Gandhi signed the first nomination paper for the election of her son.

Among the proposers was former PM Manmohan Singh who called Rahul the 'darling' of the party. 

The Congress VP is the only valid candidate in the fray for the election to the Congress president's post, the party's returning officer said on Tuesday.

A total of 89 nomination papers were received, all proposing Rahul's name. All the nominations were found to be valid after scrutiny. 

(With IANS inputs)