The Bharatiya Janata Party’s unit in Bihar is clamouring for punishment for party MP Shatrughan Sinha after he signed a petition to the president seeking mercy for Yakub Memon. Memon, convicted in the 1993 Bombay blasts case, was hanged on Thursday morning after a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court turned down a fresh plea filed by his lawyers.
Referring to Sinha’s support for the mercy petition, Bihar BJP spokesperson Rameshwar Chaurasia said, “An act of this kind by a person who has taken oath in the name of the Constitution should not be tolerated. Such persons must be punished severely.”
Sinha was among a group of MPs, politicians, eminent jurists, activists and filmmakers who had submitted a petition to President Pranab Mukherjee on July 26, requesting him to consider the plea for mercy to Memon. Their petition wasn’t heeded.
Low-intensity slugfest
The hardened position of the Bihar BJP comes a day after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said it was “extremely sad” that the party’s Patna Saheb MP had signed a petition against the execution of Memon. When asked whether Sinha’s act had embarrassed the party, he replied, “Of course, it does.”
The episode, which has escalated a low-intensity slugfest between the BJP and Sinha, is the last thing the saffron party could have wanted ahead of the crucial state assembly elections due around October this year.
“This [Sinha’s act] is also contempt of the Supreme Court,” said Chaurasia, “and the party leadership should take note of this.”
Though Sinha’s response could not be obtained despite repeated efforts, it was learned that the angry outburst against him from within the BJP had as much to do with his recent actions as the Yakub Memon case.
Discordant notes
On July 25, for instance, soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi finished his rally at Muzaffarpur, Sinha met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and described him as “guardian of the state”.
The meeting left the BJP red-faced, and the Janata Dal (United) missed no opportunity to rub salt into the saffron party’s wound. “Shatrughan Sinha has praised Nitish Kumar because Modi’s dictatorial behaviour has left [the] entire BJP and the entire nation feeling suffocated,” said JD(U) leader Ali Anwar. “People are trying to get rid of it. The BJP itself wants to get rid of it.”
Earlier, too, while the BJP was celebrating its performance in the recent by-elections for the Bihar Legislative Council, Sinha struck a discordant note. “In elections like these, there are various reasons as to why the candidates win,” he said. “Some are even made to win. The Assembly elections is not the same, it is a different ball game altogether. As I have already said, the election result has not gone in anyone’s favour. So, let’s not think too much over it.”
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Referring to Sinha’s support for the mercy petition, Bihar BJP spokesperson Rameshwar Chaurasia said, “An act of this kind by a person who has taken oath in the name of the Constitution should not be tolerated. Such persons must be punished severely.”
Sinha was among a group of MPs, politicians, eminent jurists, activists and filmmakers who had submitted a petition to President Pranab Mukherjee on July 26, requesting him to consider the plea for mercy to Memon. Their petition wasn’t heeded.
Low-intensity slugfest
The hardened position of the Bihar BJP comes a day after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said it was “extremely sad” that the party’s Patna Saheb MP had signed a petition against the execution of Memon. When asked whether Sinha’s act had embarrassed the party, he replied, “Of course, it does.”
The episode, which has escalated a low-intensity slugfest between the BJP and Sinha, is the last thing the saffron party could have wanted ahead of the crucial state assembly elections due around October this year.
“This [Sinha’s act] is also contempt of the Supreme Court,” said Chaurasia, “and the party leadership should take note of this.”
Though Sinha’s response could not be obtained despite repeated efforts, it was learned that the angry outburst against him from within the BJP had as much to do with his recent actions as the Yakub Memon case.
Discordant notes
On July 25, for instance, soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi finished his rally at Muzaffarpur, Sinha met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and described him as “guardian of the state”.
The meeting left the BJP red-faced, and the Janata Dal (United) missed no opportunity to rub salt into the saffron party’s wound. “Shatrughan Sinha has praised Nitish Kumar because Modi’s dictatorial behaviour has left [the] entire BJP and the entire nation feeling suffocated,” said JD(U) leader Ali Anwar. “People are trying to get rid of it. The BJP itself wants to get rid of it.”
Earlier, too, while the BJP was celebrating its performance in the recent by-elections for the Bihar Legislative Council, Sinha struck a discordant note. “In elections like these, there are various reasons as to why the candidates win,” he said. “Some are even made to win. The Assembly elections is not the same, it is a different ball game altogether. As I have already said, the election result has not gone in anyone’s favour. So, let’s not think too much over it.”