Sonakshi Sinha said she was hopeful that her father does not feel suppressed in Congress. (File)

Highlights Shatrughan Sinha said on Thursday he was quitting BJP, joining Congress

Sonakshi Sinha said she supported her father's decision

"I hope he does not feel suppressed in his new association," she said

Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha on Friday said she supported her father Shatrughan Sinha's decision to quit the Bharatiya Janata Party and join the Congress, adding that her father "should have done it long ago".

"It's his decision (to join the Congress)," she told the reporters while speaking at HT India's Most Stylish 2019 awards. "Being a party member from the beginning from the time of JP Narayan ji, Atal ji and Advani ji, my father has a lot of respect within the party and I feel the entire group has not been given the respect they deserve. I think he has done it a bit too late, and he should've done it long back," Sonakshi Sinha was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

Shatrughan Sinha, who has been openly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP National President Amit Shah, announced his decision to quit the BJP on Thursday after his meeting with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

His exit from the party came days after Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was declared as the party's candidate from Bihar's Patna Sahib, Mr Sinha's constituency of 10 years.

"I think if you are not happy with how things are going on around you, you should not shy away from change. That's what he did," Ms Sinha was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The actor-turned politician announced on Thursday in a tweet that he was "painfully....on the way out of BJP" and said "Nehru Gandhi family" was the "true family of nation builders".

"Painfully....on the way out of BJP....But hopefully in the best direction under the dynamic leadership of my dear friend Lalu Yadav and the desirable, most talked about leader from the Nehru Gandhi family... the true family of nation builders...." he tweeted.

Painfully....on the way out of BJP....But hopefully in the best direction under the dynamic leadership of my dear friend Lalu Yadav and the desirable, most talked about leader from the Nehru Gandhi family... the true family of nation builders... pic.twitter.com/9HSNhf9F1c — Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) March 28, 2019

In another tweet on Friday, he shared pictures of him with Mr Gandhi and called him the "hope of the nation". "Something amazing has happened after the approval of my dear friend Lalu Yadav ji. Jai Bihar Jai Hind! A new direction, a new friend and a new leadership... God bless... The Rahul Gandhi, hope of the nation," he tweeted in Hindi.

He will join the Congress on April 6.

Mr Sinha, who has been a vocal critic of the BJP since he was denied a cabinet post in 2014, has questioned the ruling party over decisions such as demonetisation, air strikes in Pakistan's Balakot in February and denial of party ticket to veteran leader LK Advani from Gujarat's Gandhinagar for national elections.

"Now I am leaving BJP because dictatorship is going on there. So, I have decided to join Congress party for the nation's sake," he said on Thursday as he left the party. He will most likely represent the opposition's grand alliance from Patna Sahib. He has been elected twice as the member of parliament - in 2004 and 2009 - from the Lok Sabha seat.

His daughter said she was hopeful he would be able to "a lot of good work" in the opposition alliance without feeling "suppressed". "I hope in his new association with the Congress, he will be able to do a lot of good work and does not feel suppressed," she told reporters.

The national elections begin April 11 and Bihar will vote in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23 and results will be announced the same day.

(With inputs from ANI)