Khela Hobe? How Yashwant Sinha's star power can give TMC the edge

Sinha, who quit BJP in 2018 taking a 'political sanyas', has joined TMC right before the West Bengal Assembly polls

Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha joined the Trinamool Congress ahead of the West Bengal polls and has been appointed as the party's vice president and national working committee member.

Sinha, a BJP veteran who was Minister for Finance and External Affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, has often blatantly attacked the saffron party through his articles and public statements. Interestingly, Sinha was also part of the BJP's 'margdarshak mandal' that was set up in 2014 to ‘guide the party’.

He quit the BJP in 2018, saying that he was ”taking 'sanyas' from party politics” and that he wasn’t “going to be a member of any other political party."

Read | Yashwant Sinha appointed as TMC Vice President

Sinha, however, is back in the political arena with the TMC this time right before a heated election in the state. The Mamata Banerjee-led party could make use of Sinha’s decades-long experience. His barbs against the BJP would also be a solid addition to TMC’s own attack on the saffron party.

Sinha strikes, BJP ducks

In 2017, Sinha had criticised late Arun Jaitley by drawing attention towards the "mess the finance minister had made of the economy" in a newspaper article titled "I need to speak up now". He had flayed demonetisation and the way the GST had been implemented.

Sinha had written, "Finance ministry, in the best of times, calls for the undivided attention of its boss if the job has to be properly done. In challenging times, it becomes more than a 24/7 job. Naturally, even a superman like Jaitley could not do justice to the task."

The Opposition had latched on to Sinha’s comments against his own party and leaders to intensify its attack on the Centre.

The BJP had also hit back with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that some people were spreading pessimism like Shalya, a character from the 'Mahabharat'.

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On the Kashmir issue, Sinha, who also led a civil society organisation--Concerned Citizens Group (CCG), had said, "I am looking at the alienation of the masses of people in Jammu and Kashmir. That is something that bothers me the most. We have lost the people emotionally You just have to visit the valley to realise that they have lost faith in us.”

After the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Sinha had visited the place again and said, "After talking to various groups of people and individuals, I have come to the conclusion at the end of our visit that the situation is not at all normal."

He had also termed detention of J&K leaders very "unfortunate" and "painful”.

Sinha had even criticised the party for defending Amit Shah's son Jay Shah when he was embroiled in a case in 2017 by saying the party has lost the high moral ground.

Mamata-Yashwant camaraderie

TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee has, in the past, come out in support of Sinha during his tirade against the Centre as a BJP leader and even otherwise.

While talking about Aadhaar and how she was against it, Banerjee had referred to Sinha’s opposition to it.

Even when he was detained in Maharashtra’s Akola while attending a farmers’ protest in 2017, Banerjee had extended her 'full support'; and had tweeted, "I am concerned about @YashwantSinha Ji former union finance minister in jail."

Read | Attack on Mamata was tipping point, says BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha after joining TMC

After joining the TMC, Sinha recalled that during the Kandahar hijack in 1999 when TMC was a coalition partner in the Vajpayee government, Banerjee had volunteered at the cabinet meeting to go and meet the hijackers to secure the release of hostages.

“She was ready to give her life for the country. She has remained a fighter," he said about the TMC supremo.

(With inputs from PTI)