'Upset' Shatrughan Sinha backs 'godfather' Advani

Actor-turned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha, who has been left out of all the panels for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, on Tuesday opened a new front against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and demanded that veteran Lal Krishna Advani should be at the helm of affairs for he is the 'godfather' of the outfit.

"As far as seniors are being overlooked, this is what you all are saying. If senior leaders are being ignored in the party then I believe that this should be rectified," said Sinha.

"People who are aspiring to be PM should come forward and accept senior leaders," he added, while asserting that all leaders should be on board.

Sinha said the role of senior party leaders, including Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, should not be overlooked.

The BJP leader said Modi might have emerged quite popular, especially after his emphatic win in Gujarat, but Advani was not only the senior most and biggest leader of the party but of the country and he should not be ignored.

Sinha also voiced his support for Ram Jethmalani, saying the veteran lawyer should be asked to rejoin the BJP.

"Expelling Ram Jethmalani was very unfortunate. Such a senior and experienced leader should be asked to come back," he said.