Yashwant Sinha, ex-BJP leader and former Union Minister, joined the Trinamool Congress today, proving a shot in the arm for Mamata Banerjee's party ahead of the West Bengal assembly election. Joining the party in Kolkata, Mr Sinha listed out the reasons for his joining the Trinamool. He said the country is facing an "unprecedented situation today" and hit out at the BJP. Mr Sinha, who was a Union Minister twice - once in the Chandra Sekhar cabinet in 1990 and then again in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government - has been sharply critical of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He quit the BJP in 2018 after having serious differences with the party's leadership. He pledged support to Ms Banerjee in her fight against the BJP. "We welcome Yashwant Sinha to our party. His participation would strengthen our fight against the BJP in the elections," Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said.
Here are Yashwant Sinha's top 5 quotes after joining the Trinamool Congress:
- "The tipping point was the attack on Mamata-ji in Nandigram. It was the moment of decision to join TMC and support Mamata-ji."
- "The country is facing an unprecedented situation today."
- "The strength of democracy lies in the strength of the institutions of democracy. All these institutions including the judiciary have become weak now."
- "The BJP, during Atal-ji's time, believed in consensus. But today's government believes in crushing and conquering. The Akalis and the BJD have left the BJP. Today, who is standing with BJP?"
- "Atal-ji built a national alliance. He did not want to weaken allies and take their space. This is a serious fight across the country. It's not just a political fight. It's a fight to save democracy."
(With inputs from ANI)
Poll Body Notice To Bengal BJP Chief Over Alleged Remarks On Ashoka Emblem BJP Worker's Body Found Inside Party Office In Bengal, Woman Arrested 'Trump Proved Age Isn't A Factor': Trinamool Leader Amid Retirement Debate Ashneer Grover's LinkedIn Post After Salman Khan Schools Him On Bigg Boss Fake Doctors Open Hospital In Surat, It Shuts A Day After Grand Launch Biden Out Of Picture As World Leaders Meet For Photo-Op At G20 Summit 2025 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R & ZX-4RR Launched In India Royal Enfield 750 cc Cafe Racer Motorcycle Spied Testing BJP Leader Accused Of Distributing Cash, High Drama Before Maharashtra Polls Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.