Shatrughan Sinha had joined the Congress earlier this year. (File)

Highlights Shatrughan Sinha called PM Modi's speech "courageous, well-researched"

In a tweet, Mr Sinha said he "must admit" the PM's speech was "corageous"

He was second Congress leader after P Chidambaram to praise PM's speech

Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, known for his sharply critical comments on Twitter against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today heaped praise on him for his Independence Day speech, calling it "courageous, well-researched and thought-provoking".

The former BJP lawmaker from Patna Sahib had joined the Congress earlier this year, after years of open dissent with the BJP. An arch-critic of the Prime Minister, Mr Sinha had earlier dubbed the BJP a "two-man army, one-man show".

His tweet today read: "Since I'm famous or infamous for calling a spade a spade, I must admit here, Hon'ble PM that your speech from the #RedFort on 15th Aug'19 was extremely courageous, well researched & thought provoking. Superb delivery of the key problems facing the country."

Since I'm famous or infamous for calling a spade a spade, I must admit here, Hon'ble PM @narendermodi@PMOIndia that your speech from the #RedFort on 15th Aug'19 was extremely courageous, well researched & thought provoking. Superb delivery of the key problems facing the country. — Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) August 18, 2019

Mr Sinha was the second Congress leader to approve of the speech, in which the Prime Minister had summed up the problems facing the country and suggested some solutions.

"All of us must welcome three announcements made by the PM on I-Day," senior Congress leader and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram had tweeted.

In his speech, PM Modi had drawn attention to what he said were three key challenges before the country: "Population explosion", plastic pollution and the need for not seeing "wealth creators with suspicion".

But there was a rider: "Of the three exhortations, I hope the FM and her legion of tax officials and investigators heard the PM's second exhortation loud and clear," he said in another tweet, pointing to the tax terrorism claims by several industrialists.

Before his death last month, VG Siddhartha - the founder of popular chain Cafe Coffee Day -- had blamed "harassment" from a senior income tax officer as one of the reasons for taking his own life. It had triggered similar claims from several industrialists, incliding Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and former Infosys Director Mohandas Pai.

