Shatrughan Sinha joins Cong, terms BJP 'one-man show, two-men army'

Dissident BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha Saturday joined the Congress, which welcomed him with a Lok Sabha ticket, as he lambasted his former party, terming it a "one-man show and two-men army".

The 72-year-old actor-turned-politician said he left the BJP, on its foundation day Saturday, with "immense pain and heavy heart". He alleged there is no place left in the party for dialogue and its leadership does not value its own veterans, and views its opponents as "enemies".

Sinha also heaped praise on Congress president Rahul Gandhi. He is a dynamic, "tried, tested and successful" leader and the face and future of India, the Patna Sahib MP said.

Within hours of joining, the Congress fielded Sinha from Bihar's Patna Sahib seat, where he will contest against BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Sinha had met Rahul Gandhi on March 28.

Attacking the BJP's top leadership, Sinha said, "Today there is no place left for dialogue in the BJP anymore," and if one speaks the truth he is termed as a rebel.

"If speaking the truth is rebellion, then I am rebel," he said addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters here.

Party veterans are not being looked after in the BJP and are being sent to 'margdarshak mandal', he alleged. "In the BJP, democracy has slowly and surely turned into dictatorship. The party has become a one-man show and a two-men army," Sinha alleged without naming anyone.

He claimed whenever he tried to make a point, he was called a "traitor".

That Sinha was not happy with the BJP and the government led by it was clear from the past few months, during which he put out several tweets critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party and the government. In his tweets, he has also been full of praise for Gandhi and RJD leaders, including its jailed president Lalu Prasad.

In an apparent reference to Modi, Sinha said, "People have called your bluff and understood your hollow promises. You have been exposed."
He also attacked the Modi government, alleging, "everything happens from the Prime Minister's Office...ministers can't work freely."
Terming demonetisation as "probably the world's biggest scam", Sinha said, "It was a mindless decision...Several people died and we were told it was normal."