Insecure leaders kept me out of Bihar campaign: Shatrughan

Apparently piqued at being ‘ignored’ by the BJP leadership as electioneering peaks in Bihar, cine star and Patna Sahib MP Shatrughan Sinha expressed his ‘agony’ in a series of tweets Sunday, saying it is not by his choice that he was not campaigning, but due to machinations of local leaders that he is out of public scene.

“My party workers, friends, supporters and well-wishers, wonder why I am not seen on the campaign trail…. I assure them it is not by choice,” he tweeted.

“I have been kept out, thanks to insecure local leaders who we know very well…… who have fed ‘matter of convenience’ stories to the party leaders,” he added in his next tweet.

Sinha, who has of late had an uncomfortable relationship with the BJP top leadership, however, chose not to disclose the names of the ‘’ local leaders’’.

Strangely, Sinha’s name had prominently appeared in the list of the BJP’’s star campaigners along with party senior leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, party patriarchs Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.

While, other stars, including Hema Malini and Smriti Irani have been extensively stumping for NDA candidates, Sinha is nowhere to be seen.

Party leaders maintain a mysterious silence, when they are approached for the reason for Shotgun’s absence from campaigning, especially when the assemblies falling under his Patna Sahib constituency are going to the polls on October 28.

Recently, when telecom minister Ravishankar Prasad was asked about Sinha’s earlier tweets, he said, “I don’t want to answer any query pertaining to Shatrughan Sinha.”

Rajiv Pratap Singh Rudy confronted by Karan Thapar, well known TV host, had said, “He is a dear friend, but his words do not matter as much to the party as to force it to explain them away”.

Seemingly emotional, Sinha wrote another tweet: “Mohabbat karne waale, kam na hongey. Teri mehfil mein lekin, hum na hongey”…. Matter of principle!!

Though not in agreement with the Grand Alliance leader Nitish Kumar for making “Bihari vs Bahari” a poll issue, the cine star said, “No question of Bihari vs Bahari….. but how your own Bihari (Babu) has been treated by own people for no fault”, he tweeted significantly.

The two-time MP from Patna Sahib in Lok Sabha, however, wished his best to party candidates in the polls, saying that in the larger interest of Bihar, the nominees would end earning trust and support of the voters.

“However, in the larger interest of Bihar and its people, I hope, wish and pray that our people get the support and trust of the voters,” he tweeted.

It was believed that Sinha would be invited to participate in the campaigning for the third phase of polling. However, hardly three days are left before the Patna constituencies go to the poll, but there is no word from the party leadership on the issue, whether he will stump for it ever.