TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha to join AAP campaign, says supporting them is in national interest
New Delhi (PTI): Asansol MP Shatrughan Sinha, who has been deputed by his party Trinamool Congress to canvass for the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, Saturday lauded the INDIA bloc ally's work in the city and said supporting them is in national interest.
The actor-turned-politician will join the AAP's campaign in the national capital this evening. Several INDIA bloc parties have backed the AAP in the Delhi elections against the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), leaving the Congress alone.
"I will be campaigning in the Delhi election. The leadership here, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is doing very well. They have a huge following, every card of Arvind Kejriwal is proving to be a mastercard," Sinha said.
"Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, they are all doing very well, supporting them will be in national interest and in the interest of the nation," he said.
Sinha will campaign in Krishna Nagar and Laxmi Nagar areas of East Delhi Saturday evening.
On Sunday, he will campaign in the New Delhi constituency of former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from 8 pm.
Before that, he will join the AAP's campaign in Trilokpuri of East Delhi around 5 pm, and in South Delhi's Kalkaji, the constituency of Chief Minister Atishi, around 6.30 pm.
He will campaign in North West Delhi's Kirari around 3 pm Monday.
Asked about the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday, he said, "Some things are appreciable, like in the health sector, the concessions given on medicines such as medicines for Cancer is a good move. In the shipping sector, we had implemented tonnage tax, the benefits are now visible".
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joined Kejriwal in a road show on Thursday. Parties like Nationalist Congress Party (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT) have also extended support to the AAP.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
