Yashwant Sinha quits BJP

Not going to join any other political party, the former Union Minister said.

Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha.

Alleging that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre is undermining democratic institutions, senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha announced on Saturday that he was severing all ties with the party and preparing to launch a nationwide campaign to save democracy.

The former Finance Minister made the declaration on the birthday of his son Jayant Sinha, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation.

“I have had a long association with the BJP, but today I am severing all ties with the party and taking

sanyas from party politics. I will launch a nationwide campaign with all my friends sitting here to save democracy,” Mr. Sinha said at the first convention of his newly floated Rashtriya Manch (‘national forum’). He would not join any other political party nor “accept any post”.

Mr. Sinha has been critical of the Union government on various issues for some time. Another disgruntled BJP leader and party MP for Patna Sahib, Shatrughan Sinha, representatives of the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party were present.

Mr. Sinha said democracy today was in danger in the country.

“Once the democratic institutions are trampled upon, it takes a long time to restore them. We need to think about democratic values of our nation, or else the country will not forgive us,” he said.