Yashwant Sinha Could Finally Get To Meet PM Modi. In Patna

Patna: BJP veteran Yashwant Sinha who told NDTV that he has waited over a year for an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has an opportunity now to get what he wants.

On October 14, the PM is scheduled to attend the centenary celebrations of Patna University. Vice Chancellor Ras Bihari Singh confirmed that he has also invited Mr Sinha, who graduated from the institution with a degree in political science and then taught there, to attend the event.

The official said Mr Sinha has not yet indicated whether he will attend. Sources close to him said he is undecided.

Last week, the former Finance Minister took over the headlines with a seething attack on the government's "mismanagement" of the economy. In particular, he blamed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who responded by declaring him "a job applicant at 80."
 Mr Sinha also said the successive reforms of demonetisation and the national sales tax or GST were poorly timed, provoking the government to defend its record.

The Vice Chancellor said that even if Mr Sinha attends the function at his alma mater, he may not be seated near the PM whose office and security clear all arrangements including seating plans for the stage.

But Mr Singh hastened to add "We have several other programmes lined up where felicitation of Mr Sinha will take place including by the Old Boys Association for being among the 11 oldest students still alive."

Mr Sinha told NDTV last week that he was forced to dissect the government's "poor economic handling" in public because for more than a year, he had not been granted time with the prime minister.

So far, the other VIPs who are meant to attend the celebrations include Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, actor-politician and local MP Shatrughan Sinha (who supported Mr Sinha's right to publicly take down the economy) and  opposition leader Lalu Yadav who is also a former student from the university.

However, sources said Lalu Yadav is still smarting from attending another Patna event in January this year when he was asked to sit cross legged on the ground, while PM Modi, Nitish Kumar and other dignitaries were on the stage. The politician insists that this event is where the PM and the Chief Minister broke the ice of several years and got back in touch, a move which culminated in Lalu Yadav and the Congress being replaced in the Bihar government by the BJP as the supporting cast for Mr Kumar.