After TMC ticket for LS bypoll, Shatrughan hails Mamata; Cong says good riddance

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Monday hailed West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee as a great leader and thanked her for fielding him Asansol Lok Sabha seat where bypoll would be held on April 12.

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, 76, who switched to the Congress from BJP just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which he unsuccessfully fought from Patna Sahib, a constituency he had represented for two terms, on Monday hailed West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee as a great leader and thanked her for fielding him Asansol Lok Sabha seat where bypoll would be held on April 12.

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha. (PTI)

“I am honoured. I would like to fulfil expectations of the party and people. I came to know about the decision through tweets of Mamata Banerjee and there is no question to say no to this,” Sinha told HT over phone.

Sinha had been a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Patna Sahib (2009, 2014) and two-time Rajya Sabha member (1996–2002, 2002–2008), both on BJP ticket. He was a union minister for health and family welfare in the Vajpayee government.

The actor justified his decision to continue his political journey with a new party. “Sahi disha ki talash mein nayi disha mein jana padta hai (In search of the right way, one has to take a new direction),” he said and refused to be called an outsider for Asansol.

“Being a cine star, I am an all-India personality. People from all corners live in Asansol, including from Bihar. Bengali is my weakness. I will feel privileged to raise matters in Parliament with intelligent people of TMC,” he said.

“She (Mamata Banerjee) is a Tigress of Bengal, a great leader of India and is the future of India,” Sinha said. “She is a mass leader. She is honest, full of integrity and has all the virtues and capabilities to be a future leader. Such qualities and such leaders are rare,” he added.

Asked was he dejected with Congress, Sinha said he would speak on this at an “opportune time.”

Meanwhile, Congress leaders in Bihar said his was a “good riddance”.

“He was never involved in the party work even after he joined Congress prior to 2019 Lok Sabha polls,” said Congress leader and MLC Premchandra Mishra. “He was a burden on party. It’s a good riddance. He never engaged in serious politics nor did he ever think for development of Bihar or Patna,” said Congress spokesperson Anand Madhab.

State Congress president Madan Mohan Jha said Bihar unit has no intimation of him leaving the party.