From Shotgun to turncoat: Shatrughan Sinha doesn't have many options
What's the story
When he was an actor, Shatrughan Sinha played the bad boy everyone feared. So when he took the political plunge, he retained the fearlessness of his on-screen characters. However, his habit of not mincing words brought Sinha in bad books of his party's leadership. As a result, the Patna Sahib MP was denied BJP ticket from his constituency. Let's discuss what lies ahead for him.
Leader
Years ago, Sinha called PM Modi "dashing and dynamic"
Since the 1990s, Sinha has been one of the BJP leaders who took on Opposition diligently. But that changed recently. Sinha became a staunch critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 2016 days when Sinha called PM Modi "dashing and dynamic" were gone. After BJP ended its dry spell in UP in 2017, Sinha had also praised "calm" Amit Shah, the party president.
Looking back
Along with berating PM Modi, Sinha praised Rahul Gandhi
Soon the compliments were replaced by taunts. From demonetization to PM Modi's decision to never address a press conference, Sinha stopped at nothing. He sang praises for Rahul Gandhi calling him "most natural and deserving" Congress President. After Congress wrested power from BJP in three Hindi heartland states in December 2018, Sinha saw it as Rahul's win and praised his leadership qualities.
Joining
Leaving Lotus behind, Sinha may join Congress' "hands"
The way Sinha spoke about Rahul hinted that he may switch ships this time. According to TOI, Congress is planning to field Sinha from Patna Sahib. "It is almost final that Shatrughan ji will join Congress either on March 24 or 25. Congress is a better option as it would provide Shatrughan ji the opportunity to be in national politics," his aide said.
RJD
Sinha also warmed up to Lalu few weeks ago
There have also been speculations that Sinha might join RJD, one of the constituents of mahagathbandhan and Congress' ally in Bihar. Earlier this month, Sinha met RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Jharkhand jail where the latter is spending days after being convicted of corruption. Leaving the premises, Sinha said he only came to inquire about Yadav's health.
Party
Sinha's presence hurt BJP more than his absence would
Notably, Sinha hasn't resigned from BJP yet. But his actions have punctured the party's reputation. Sinha's presence at Mamata Banerjee's grand Opposition rally in January where he questioned PM Modi's leadership confirmed he isn't happy with the party. But BJP would have definitely liked for him to choose his words wisely and not fuel Opposition's flames. Well, he is "Shotgun" for a reason.