Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Shri Yashwant Sinha has officially joined Trinamool Congress (TMC), signalling a stated shift from the ideological Right to a politics of Centre-Left driven towards ensuring welfare and well-being. Sinha has closely worked with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and believes that Vajpayee was outstanding when it came to claiming and conducting consensus and differences through deliberation and dialogue — a point that is being largely overlooked by Modi and Shah who have, over the years, rolled and reversed the party.
The BJP party is consciously picking and placing in the ranks of the party obedient and loyal foot soldiers who are readily willing to oblige to the whims and fancies of their leaders. It is with this understanding that the leadership has effectively contested and challenged critical voices and opinions, effectively eroding and shrinking its legitimacy. This is largely responsible for the decay and decline of the constitutionally-elected institutions — either their integrity has been compromised or they have been weakened to an extent from where restoring their dignity and pride looks like a herculean task.
Sinha has been truthful in his assessment of how his parent party that during Vajpayee’s years, trustfully cobbled alliances and coalitions with parties across the political spectrum — the Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, AIADMK etc. — has largely been isolated and alienated. As for the suspicion and cynicism on the part of their allies, in the recent past, we have seen how the BJP reacted and behaved with its traditional allies Shiv Sena and Akali Dal, leading to their embarrassing exit from the National Democratic Alliance.
At least they could have resolved their differences through reconciliation, but no, the BJP leadership became completely ignorant to the concerns pushed up by their alliances, refuting and refusing to pay any heed to their question. It is with right thinking and thought that Sinha, who has won many a times from the Hazaribagh seat, decided to side with the TMC. He is sure of Mamata’s prospects of a comeback due to people’s adoration and affection of her programmes and reforms, ameliorating and uplifting their spirit. This will allow Mamata to take the oath for the third consecutive term in West Bengal.