Alright! So Shatrughan Sinha is on his way out of BJP. Good riddance!

Some people live up to the nicknames they have. Like Shatrughan Sinha, who justifies his nickname Shotgun, the motor mouth. His brashness probably lies in his confidence, and adds to his charm as an actor. The actor from Bihar, who had studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, did not possess the textbook looks for the glamour world. However, he went on to charm the industry as well as his fans.

Shatrughan Sinha’s autobiography is rightly named Anything but Khamosh, and cooked up a storm when it was released sometime in 2016. The nonconformist avatar of the maverick actor could be refreshing if he handled his opinions with a little more grace.

Shatrughan Sinha’s current claim to fame is his attacks on Prime Minister and party colleague Narendra Modi. While every good citizen must be vigilant and criticize their government whenever a policy goes wrong, one wonders why Sinha hasn’t left the BJP. Given the fact that he has been a constant critique of the party over the past few years, his choosing to stay put in the party makes one wonder if it is a battle of nerves at play.

The Modi-Shah duo has chosen to ignore him, and even though Shatrughan Sinha has created ample opportunities, the BJP has not sacked him or even sent a show cause notice his way. The party has given him the silent treatment, allowing him to push himself to the fringe. By not sacking him, the Modi-Shah duo hasn’t allowed him to play the victim card or the martyr card.

Towards the end of 2017, Shatrughan Sinha was seen at the book launch of suspended Rajya Sabha MP Ali Anwar Ansari of JD(U). In the august company of rebel JD(U) MP Sharad Yadav and senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, Sinha used the ‘chaiwala’ jibe against prime minister Modi while also attacking ‘TV actress’ Smriti Irani, who currently handles the I&B ministry. Arun Jaitley was also mocked by Shotgun. It is both ironic and sad that Shatrughan Sinha, an artist himself, chose to criticize Irani on the basis of her trade.  The actor himself had handled the health and family welfare and shipping ministries in the Vajpayee government, and did not let his trade come in the way of his duty as a minister.  

Shatrughan Sinha has attacked the government on demonetization, GST, and recently on the Nirav Modi scam. A vigilant MP is always a good thing for a democracy, however this brings us to the same question – why is still in the BJP, when he clearly does not agree with its policies?

But here is the ‘welcome’ news. As per this Oneindia report – Shatrughan Sinha is likely to leave BJP to join another party or contest the upcoming 2019 elections as an independent candidate, the actor-politician himself stated.

“I have offers from other parties. Whether I serve through my party or some other parties or even contest independently, it hardly matters” Sinha said while speaking to Times Now. The BJP MP also met West Bengal Chief Minister last night.

“As they are my own people, I can’t speak about their behaviour to outsiders in detail… My party knows it hurt me. Not just now but from day one this government came to power,” Sinha added.

As the BJP gives him the Khaamosh treatment and is unlikely to field him again in the 2019 elections, Sinha who was once a household name for his exploits on the screen, has reduced himself to a sore-loser who cribs about something or the other all the time. How the mighty have fallen!

Having said that, every BJP supporter must support Shatrughan Sinha for finally deciding to end his association with BJP, or at least giving it a serious thought. It’s a win-win for both him and the party. He may get the Patna Sahib ticket again from some other party and BJP will not have to live with the embarrassment of one of their own leaders issuing anti-party statements.