Shatrughan Sinha says will attend Mamata's rally as Rashtra Manch representative

Asserting that he has not received "respect" in his party, BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha said he will attend a mega rally of opposition leaders being organised by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Saturday.

He will attend the rally as a representative of "Rashtra Manch", a political action group launched by former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha and supported by him, Sinha told PTI on Thursday.

The actor-politician has been at odds with the BJP on several decisions taken by the BJP-led Centre, including demonetisation, and has criticised it as a "one-man show".

"I will be participating in the event on behalf of Rashtra Manch...," Sinha said over phone from Mumbai, and tried to justify his decision to attend the rally saying, "Even some BJP leaders participate in the programme of the RSS."
Asked if Banerjee could become prime minister after the 2019 election, he said, "PM will be decided by people and leaders of the parties based on numbers after the election... But she is certainly in the category of best personality."
Asked about the speculation in the media that he might take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi in the Lok Sabha election as a candidate of the united opposition, Sinha said, "I neither confirm this nor deny it."