'Shotgun' misfires again, TMC turns face

The recent rantings of actor-turned-politician Satrughan Sinha on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has become a great cause of embarrassment for Trinamool Congress. Hence, the party has distanced itself from the statement of its own 'motormouth' leader.

New Delhi, Jan 10: While speaking about Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Satrughan Sinha has hailed Rahul Gandhi as one of the "serious leaders" of the country and hence has got "every potential to be the next Prime Minister''. This has set the cat among the pigeons and his own party is in a quandary as to how to react to it. As of now, TMC has distanced itself from the statement saying it to be Sinha's "personal opinion".

Sinha, who is popularly known as 'Shotgun' for his high temperament and shooting mouth, claimed that the whole concept of Bharat Jodo Yatra is a precedent setter in the country's politics. Having said that, however, there are few fractions of leaders who are trying to defame Gandhi and the initiative taken by the Congress party for uniting India under the banner of the party, he added.

Describing the Yartra as a revolutionary step and a trend-setter in the country's politics, Sinha further said Gandhi has established himself as a "youth icon" among the every strata of the society. Going further, Sinha has given a strange argument that as people from Gandhi's family have become Prime Ministers in the past, he too has got every potential to be the next PM.

Credibility of Yatra participants always questionable

Now, Sinha might be a motormouth who keeps speaking his mind without bothering about the consequences, but considering the people who have participated in the Yatra so far without being a Congress party worker, one can say with his eyes closed that they have been controversial some time in their life and career over some issue or other and none of them is left with any credibility.

Pooja Bhat: The actor joined the Yatra on the 56th day of its commencement in Hyderabad. She is one from the "liberal gang" who supported the Shaheen Bagh movement and supported the Bollywood cabal during the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. Her brother Rahul Bhat is a close aide of David Headley, one of the main accused in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and had helped him in doing the recce before the attacks. Her father Mahesh Bhatt has shared stage with terror preacher Zakir Naik in many of the Islamic conferences organized by the IRF where they have described the killing of non-Muslims as a "pious act".

Gen. Deepak Kapoor: The former Army Chief, along with Gen. N.C. Vij and a few other military officers, were named in the report filed by the enquiry committee appointed by the Defence Ministry in the 2016 Adarsh scam in Mumbai. The committee had pointed out the violation of rules and irregularities in its 100-page report submitted to the ministry. The two Generals, along with four other officers of Major General rank, can be termed as blots in the Indian Army's history.

Rahghuram Rajan: The former RBI Governor has always in the news, all for wrong reasons. The irrepressible BJP leader Subramanian Swami describes Rajan as "a stooge of world powers". As a newspaper headline screams "Raghuram Rajan not Indian by heart, should be sacked: Subramanian Swami", the accompanying story quotes Swami saying Rajan cannot be trusted in the economic front anymore and could act as a stooge of world powers to hamper the economic growth story of the country.

Even the honesty and integrity of Congress leaders itself is under cloud. Gandhi and his mother Sonia are on bail in the National Herald case while the plea of Robert Vadra, husband of his sister Priyanka, in a major land scam has been quashed by a Jodhpur court. Moreover, the mysterious treaty signed between the Congress party and the Chinese Communist Party in the very presence of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is still under scanner.