BJP and union of dissenters in the months leading to Lok Sabha elections

A ginger group is taking shape, which plans to raise issues of public concern in the months leading to the Lok Sabha elections. The group includes some of the discontented current and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. Its members are senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha (pictured), BJP Lok Sabha member Shatrughan Sinha, former Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha member Pavan K Varma, industrialist and Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) chief Kamal Morarka and some others. It has also reached out to former Union Minister Arun Shourie and former Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav. In the last few months, the two Sinhas have been critical of the government and its policies. Shourie has criticised the government since 2015. Both Yadav and Varma have disagreed with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The group has friends among several Opposition parties, including the Congress, the Left parties and the Aam Aadmi Party.