india

Updated: Feb 04, 2019 16:27 IST

BJP’s rebel leader Shatrughan Sinha came out in support of Mamata Banerjee on Monday as the West Bengal chief minister started another confrontation with the Centre over CBI’s attempt to question the chief of Kolkata Police.

Sinha has already backed Mamata Banerjee in the past when he attended the mega opposition rally called by the Trinamool Congress leader in Kolkata last month and also endorsed her name for the post of the country’s Prime Minister.

Also read: Narendra Modi a real action hero, Mamata Banerjee perfect for PM: Shatrughan Sinha

“Sirji, what’s happening? Why are we playing with fire through the much maligned, disgraced and condemned govt institutions? That too when the elections are around the corner... By targeting the tried and tested mass leader with impeccable image, ‘Bengal Tigress’ @MamataOfficial (sic),” Sinha tweeted.

Watch : BJP misusing power ahead of polls: Opposition leaders back Mamata Banerjee

“… the lady who is identified with hawai chappal and cotton saris. We have almost lost our credibility and people are not accepting whatever we are saying. Let’s not get into knee jerk panic action reaction. Jai Hind ! (sic),” the actor-turned-politician wrote.

Mamata Banerjee is protesting to “Save the Constitution” in Kolkata against what she says is the “coup” of the BJP-led central government. Her sit-protest came after the Central Bureau of Investigation moved to arrest Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Sunday evening in connection with the Sarada scam. The five-member CBI team was denied entry to the Kolkata Police chief’s residence and then detained inside a police station.

Also read: ‘To save democracy’: Shatrughan Sinha’s reason for attending Mamata’s mega opposition rally

More than 100 users liked the tweets and were retweeted nearly 500 times.

Sinha has in the past lashed out at his own party leaders on national and state issues, often from public platforms. He has also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues like rising fuel prices, demonetisation, Rafale deal and the Vijay Mallya case. Sinha has been friendly to opposition parties such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress and also has visited opposition leaders, including Lalu Prasad, embarrassing the BJP.

He has praised RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, calling him a “very mature leader” and Lalu Prasad’s son reciprocated the gesture at an iftar party last year. “Chacha (Shatrughan Sinha) is with us,” he said, fuelling speculation that Sinha could be the RJD candidate for the Patna Sahib seat in 2019.

The two-time Lok Sabha MP from Patna Sahib has also openly praised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

He has recently been advised by Bihar’s deputy CM and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi to leave the party. Modi said Sinha had “fallen into bad company of Yashwant Sinha.”

Also read: BJP finally tells off Shatrughan: Quit if you don’t like it here