'Heavens Won't Fall': Shatrughan Sinha Tweetstorms Swipe At PM Modi

Shatrughan Sinha, a former union minister, feels PM Modi and Amit Shah have sidelined him.

Shatrughan Sinha, the BJP lawmaker who often flings stinging darts at his party, has taken a sharp swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a series of tweets posted by the BJP's in-house critic, Mr Sinha started with PM Modi's three-nation foreign tour, echoing the Congress that has sharply criticised the prime minister for his foreign trips when parliament in session.

"Heavens wouldn't have fallen if you'd left after the session. You could have still visited some of the nations left on the globe," said the 72-year-old actor-turned-politician.

He also congratulated PM Modi for becoming the first prime minister to visit Rwanda during the three-nation tour. PM Modi is currently in South Africa after wrapping up his visit to Rwanda and Uganda.

Over the next three tweets, Mr Sinha, is also seen to criticise PM Modi's reaction to Rahul Gandhi's hug in parliament, nudge him to criticise the cow vigilantes who kill innocents and throw in a reference to the opposition's privilege motion against PM Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for their statements on the Rafale fighter jet deal as well. The opposition says the centre misled the Lok Sabha.

The BJP leader, also called Shotgun for his piercing comments that usually target his own party leaders, referred to reports that PM Modi had gifted 200 cows to a village in the eastern African nation.

"But Sir! Back home, Opposition is in big news over lynching by cow rakshaks (protectors) and killing of innocent people, alleging that some of our people are hand & glove in these horrific deeds (sic)," he said.

"Still, not a word from you. Sir! You can do it from a foreign land too," Mr Sinha said, going on remind PM Modi that the Congress had moved a privilege motion against him over his statement on the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Mr Sinha had surprised his party and opposition last week when the lawmaker from Bihar's Patna Sahib seat declared that he would vote with his party against the no-confidence motion. "As long as I am in the BJP... I'll support it and follow every rule including a whip," he said.

Violating the party's directive on voting in the Lok Sabha could have led to cost him his seat.

But there are no rules against taunts.

After the BJP took offence to Rahul Gandhi's surprise hug during the no-trust vote, Mr Sinha on Tuesday pulled no punches when he took on his party leadership for making a big fuss about Rahul Gandhi's "warm hug".

Describing Mr Gandhi as a "dynamic young leader of the youth and generation next", he wondered why some people had taken offence to the hug given that it was PM Modi's "trademark" style to receive all foreign dignitaries with a hug.

Mr Sinha followed up on this point today, noting that PM Modi had opted for the handshake with the leadership in Rwanda.

"Now a handshake in Rwanda wud (would) be within protocol (since your HUG is still making big news here)," he said.