Talk of tobacco-free, not Congress-free India: Shatrughan Sinha

The actor turned BJP MP, Shatrughan Sinha on Sunday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him by saying that some people should talk about "tobacco-free" India to benefit millions rather than being keen on Congress-free India.

"Bharat ko kuchh log Congress-mukt banana chahte hain, lekin agar we tambaku mukt Bharat ki baat kahe, toh lakhon longon ko phayda hoga (Some people have been talking of a Congress-free India but if they should talk about tobacco-free India, it would benefit millions)," Sinha said here at a function here.

Modi has been campaigning for a Congress-free India for over two years now.

Sinha also said that demonetisation was a good step but no home work was done for its implementation.

Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah have repeatedly claimed to have held discussions for months over demonetisation, but it resulted in inconvenience to common people across the country, Sinha added.

Early this month, the BJP's Lok Saha member criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sharing the results of a survey on demonetisation which showed that 90 per cent of people backed the move.

"Let us stop living in a fool's paradise and getting carried away by planted stories and surveys conducted by vested interests," Sinha said in a tweet, provoking Bihar BJP President Mangal Pandey, who advised Sinha to join the Congress.

"Sinha should consider joining the Congress if he finds everything wrong with the Prime Minister's policies," Pandey said.

Popularly known as "Bihari Babu", Shatrughan Sinha is party MP from Patna Sahib here and has been in news for raising questions over the BJP's and Modi's decisions in the past two years.