Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha likely to join TMC, say sources
Patna/Kolkata, Jul 11: Senior Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha is likely to crossover to Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress soon, sources close to him said on Sunday.
Though through a tweet in Hindi with pro-Narendra Modi flavour recently, Sinha had triggered guesswork that he might stage a "Ghar Wapsi" to the BJP, the sources said he is more inclined towards the TMC, which recently humbled the saffron party and Banerjee emerged as a potent rival of Prime Minister Modi in 2024 general election.
When asked by PTI about his chance of joining the TMC, Sinha refused to make a direct comment, but said, "Politics is an art of possibility."
Sources close to him, however, did not deny the chance.
A section of the TMC leaders also said in Kolkata that talks are in an advanced stage in this regard.
The TMC leaders said the actor-politician always had a good relation with Banerjee.
Sources said there is a chance of Sinha switching over to the TMC on its July 21 Martyrs' day celebration function.
Sinha, popularly known as "Bihari Babu", made lavish praise on Mamata Banerjee, calling her "real Royal Bengal tiger" and a "tried and tested leader who trounced propaganda and 'dhanshakti' (money power) in the just-concluded Bengal polls".
Sinha's former colleague in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee ministry, Yashwant Sinha, is now national vice-president of the TMC.
Sinha, the two-term BJP MP from Patna Sahib, had joined the Congress and entered into the fray from the same constituency in the 2019 polls but lost to former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Though a big name in politics, Sinha, has not been given any big responsibility by the Congress.
Mamata Banerjee who has emerged as a strong rival to Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls has already made it clear that her party will have a larger role outside West Bengal and in that scheme of things, people like Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha could be important for the party.
Two Rajya Sabha seats are presently vacant from the TMC after former union minister Dinesh Trivedi quit and joined the BJP before the Bengal polls and Trinamool Congress MP Manas Bhuniaya contested the just-concluded state polls and is now a minister in Banerjee's third successive ministry.
Indications are that Shatrughan Sinha might be sent to the Upper House of Parliament from one of the two seats of the TMC.
Sinha, who had walked out of the BJP after launching a tirade against Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying the saffron party has become "one man party and two men army", had recently posted a tweet saying apart from three variants of COVID, there is a fourth variant of people being "dukhi" (unhappy) with Modi without any reason.
This was seen in the political circles as his efforts to reach out to his parent party to make a homecoming.
But, Sinha had himself described the issue as "Sunday humour" for entertainment.
A popular Bollywood hero of yesteryears, Sinha had joined the BJP in the early '80s when it was a party of two MPs and served as its star campaigner for a long time during the Atal-Advani era.
He, however, fell out with the present saffron party leadership of Modi-Shah and finally left it and joined the Congress before the last general election.
Sinha had joined Banerjee's mega anti-BJP conclave at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata before the 2019 Parliamentary polls when he was still an MP from the BJP.
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Rajnath, Shah, other Union ministers change social media profile photos to 'Op Sindoor' logo
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other top ministers on Thursday changed the display pictures on their social media profiles to mark the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor following a call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prime minister, earlier in the day, shared a digital poster depicting the now widely recognised logo of Operation Sindoor and urged others to do the same as a mark of respect to the armed forces.
Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, with Indian forces conducting precision strikes on multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
After launching the military operation, the Indian Army, in a post on X, at 1:51 am on May 7 had said, "Justice is served. Jai Hind!"
On its first anniversary, the Indian military on Thursday said, Operation Sindoor -- "precise in action, eternal in memory" -- reflected the country's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage, coordination and strength.
The Army, the Navy, the Indian Air Force, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and the defence ministry also updated the display pictures on their social media profiles to mark the anniversary.
Defence Minister Singh, while updating his profile photo on X, said Operation Sindoor stands as a "powerful symbol" of national resolve and preparedness, and that their actions reflected unmatched precision, and set a "benchmark" for modern military operations.
"On the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, we salute the valour and sacrifices of our armed forces, whose courage and dedication continue to safeguard the nation. Their actions during the operation reflected unmatched precision, seamless jointness and deep synergy across services, setting a benchmark for modern military operations," he wrote.
"Operation Sindoor stands as a powerful symbol of national resolve and preparedness, showing that our armed forces are always ready to act decisively when it matters most. It also stands testament to India’s steady advance towards achieving #Atmanirbharta, enhancing capability while reinforcing resilience," he added.
The Ministry of External Affairs, led by its minister Jaishankar, also marked the anniversary, and reasserted and amplified India's diplomatic stand on this operation.
"A year ago, #OperationSindoor demonstrated the nation's resolve to defend itself against cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. With its decisive actions, India ensured accountability for terrorist actions. And underlined that such a serious threat to peace and security will be effectively countered. Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi, India stands strong and determined to convey a message of zero tolerance for terrorism," the EAM posted on X.
Earlier in a separate post, Jaishankar too changed his profile picture and posted an image of the Operation Sindoor logo on the timeline.
Home Minister Shah, in a post on X, said, "Operation Sindoor stands as an epochal mission of India that will always remind our enemies of the infallible striking power of our armed forces."
After Indian forces had launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, Pakistan later also launched offensives against India, and all subsequent counter-offensives by India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor.
The military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, lasting nearly 88 hours, halted after they reached an understanding on the evening of May 10.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi and Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil too updated their profile photos.
The Indian Army in an early morning post wrote, "#OperationSindoor India's resolute response calibrated and precise. Committed to safeguarding sovereignty and its people. #JusticeServed Jai Hind".
It also shared a video clip encapsulating the circumstances that led to the decisive military action in the early hours of May 7 last year, as well as some footage offering a glimpse to the military might of India.
"India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers," PM Modi had earlier said in his address, whose excerpt is part of the widely shared clip.
Recalling the military action launched on the intervening night of May 6-7, the Indian Air Force put out the anniversary post on X at 1:05 AM.
"Operation Sindoor Justice served. Precise in action, eternal in memory-Operation Sindoor continues. India forgets nothing-India forgives nothing. #operation #Sindoor #operationsindoor #IAF," the IAF posted.
The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) also posted the anniversary message at 1:05 AM, saying, "Symbol of national resolve #OpSindoor JAI HIND #OpSindoor #indianarmedforces #NationalSecurity".
The Indian embassies in the US, the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy also updated their display pictures on their social media profiles.
The embassies in France, Germany, Spain and Italy posted on X in French, German and Italian, amplifying the message of the Indian leadership on Operation Sindoor's anniversary in the respective countries.
The Indian Embassy in the UK posted on X, "One year of #OperationSindoor A tribute to India’s resolve, unity, and unwavering stand against terrorism. Saluting the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces who protect the nation with pride and honor. #OpSindoor #IndiaAgainstTerrorism #IndianArmedForces #NationalSecurity #IndiaFirst #SaluteOurForces #JaiHind #OperationSindoorContinues".
The Indian embassy in Israel also changed its profile photo on X and reposted PM Modi's post, and the X account of the embassy in Iran too changed the display picture to the logo of Operation Sindoor.
The Indian Navy in an early morning post on X said Operation Sindoor reflected India's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage and strength.
"Nation's Resolve. Forces United In moments that test a nation's will, the Indian Defence Forces stand united - resolute in purpose, precise in action and unwavering in commitment. #OperationSindoor reflects India's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage, coordination and strength. #OpSindoor #NationFirst #IndianNavy @HQ_IDS_India @adgpi @IAF_MCC," the Navy posted and changed its profile photo.
