Yashwant Sinha Denies Saying Modi Will be Consigned to Dust

Did he or did he not? Matter of time before it becomes clear what BJP leader really thinks about PM Modi.

Veteran BJP leader and former union minster Yashwant Sinha has reportedly denied making adverse remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was earlier reported to have said there is no dialogue and they may meet the same fate as the Indira Gandhi-led Congress which was drubbed in the elections after Emergency.

A report by PTI news agency said,

“The people of India will consign him to the dust, you just have to wait for the next elections,” Sinha, who was finance minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, said without naming Modi. Alluding to the general elections in 1977 when Congress was ousted from power, he said such a neglect (of dialogue) will make the government last “19 months”, the same duration as the Emergency.

Sinha’s son Jayant Sinha, currently MoS Finance, clarified these remarks earlier today on Twitter.

Spoke to my father Shri Yashwant Sinha ji in Goa. PTI story completely misquotes him. His statements are on tape and will prove it. 1/2

— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha) January 31, 2016

Shri Yashwant Sinha ji has already called PTI, objected to the story in strongest possible terms, and asked them to issue clarification 2/2

— Jayant Sinha (@jayantsinha) January 31, 2016

Update: Yashwant Sinha spoke with news agency ANI a little after 1300 hours today offering a clarification over his remarks,

I was taking part in a discussion yesterday where the subject was ‘Is dialogue dead?’. I started by saying that consensus is the soul of democracy and consensus can be achieved only through dialogue. Therefore dialogue cannot be dead in a country where democracy is strong and thriving. I went on to defend this position. When some people referred to some cases of intolerance I reminded them of imposition of Emergency by Indira Gandhi and I said that people of this country taught her a lesson in 1977 because it is not in our spirit to be intolerant, it is not in our spirit to stifle dialogue. And therefore both democracy is alive and dialogue is alive.