Former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, who served under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has entered the Trinamool Congress just weeks before the West Bengal Assembly election. In 2018, the 83-year-old left his previous political faction, the BJP. His decision to join Mamata Banerjee’s team is likely to be seen as a prize capture for an organization that has seen a steady outflow of leaders and cadres in recent months.
In the presence of Derek O Brien, Sudip Bandopadhyay, and Subrata Mukherjee, Mr Sinha joined his new group at the Trinamool Bhawan in Kolkata shortly after 12 p.m.
“The country is facing an unprecedented situation today. The strength of democracy lies in the strength of the institutions of democracy. All these institutions, including the judiciary, have become weak now,” said Mr. Sinha right after joining Trinamool. Before joining the party, the senior leader met Ms Banerjee at her house.
At today’s press conference, he discussed a variety of topics, including the continuing farmers’ strike and the border situation with China. He also attempted to make a contrast between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and that of his former boss, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
“There is no one who can put a halt to the government’s misdeeds. The BJP believed in the consensus during Atal Ji’s tenure, but today’s government believes in smashing and conquering. The BJD and the Akalis have abandoned the BJP. Today, who is standing with BJP?” Mr. Sinha explained.
When it comes to voting, he still has reservations about the polling agency: “I tell it with a great deal of responsibility that the Election Commission is no longer a neutral body.”
In the run-up to the Bengal elections, the Trinamool has seen a steady stream of politicians, including Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee, defect to the BJP, which is seeking to unseat Ms. Banerjee’s government. Mr. Sinha’s entrance into the party at this stage assists Bengal’s ruling regime in holding up a sign of these defections being a two-way path, at least symbolically.
He was a retired IAS officer from the 1960 batch who entered politics in 1984 after leaving government service, initially with the Janata Party. He later became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Jayant Sinha, his son, is still a BJP member and member of Parliament from Hazaribagh (Jharkhand). Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election in 2019, he was granted no ministerial duties despite being a Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Finance during his first term (2014-19).
