Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 28
Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha’s formal induction into the Congress was today deferred till April 6 on account of fresh tension between the grand old party and its Bihar ally RJD.
The Congress sent out messages last night alerting everyone about the high-profile joining scheduled for 12.30 pm today. But there was no follow-up message from the party and it was only later in the day that AICC incharge of Bihar Shakti Sinh Gohil said Sinha had met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and would now formally join the party on April 6.
After meeting Rahul, Sinha tweeted, “Painfully....on the way out of BJP....But hopefully in the best direction under the dynamic leadership of my dear friend Lalu Yadav and the desirable, most talked about leader from the Nehru Gandhi family... the true family of nation builders.”
But suspense continued on why Sinha, who came all the way from Patna to Delhi to join the Congress, did not finally join. The reason was – Sinha wanted both RJD and Congress leaders to attend his induction, but fresh tension between the two allies ensured this did not happen today.
Sources said RJD chief Lalu Yadav told the Congress ahead of Sinha’s joining today that it would not spare the Darbhanga LS seat for it. This was an embarrassment to the Congress which recently got rebel BJP Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad to its fold, promising to repeat him from the seat as part of the grand alliance understanding in the state. By the end of the day, the Congress had relented to the RJD which took away Darbhanga from the Congress quota amid reports that Azad will now have to fight from Betia. The RJD also wanted Supaul, where the Congress has a sitting MP Ranjeet Ranjan but the Congress finally got this seat.
The Congress feels it can get the RJD on board by April 6. Sinha will be the joint Opposition candidate against Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib.
Painfully....on the way out of BJP....But hopefully in the best direction under the dynamic leadership of my dear friend Lalu Yadav and the desirable, most talked about leader from the Nehru Gandhi family... Shatrughan Sinha
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