Vajpayee projected democracy, Modi reflects dictatorship: Shatrughan Sinha

TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday said that while the reign of Atal Behari Vajpayee projected 'lokshahi' (democracy), that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi reflects 'tanashahi' (dictatorship).

Addressing a massive crowd during the Trinamool Congress' Martyrs' Day rally here, the recently elected Asansol MP said Vajpayee was a "pro-people father figure and statesman", under whose rule the Bollywood actor was a Union minister.

"Vajpayee Ji was different...he projected the 'lokshahi' nature of the government, while Modi projects 'tanashahi' nature of the government," he said.

"Unemployment is at a 50-year-high, GST is being corrected every day, hard-earned money stashed by poor women in their houses was made defunct through demonetisation. The debt burden has increased manifold in the last eight years of the Modi government," he said.

Sinha, popularly known as 'Bihari Babu', described TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee as the "most acceptable leader in the country" and said, "What Bengal thinks today, India will think tomorrow."

Playing around with his famous 'Khamosh!' (Silence!) punchline, he said, "Aaj khamoshi hai kal shor aayega, aaj tumhara din hai kal hum sabka din aayega (Today, there is silence, tomorrow voices will get stronger; today is your day, tomorrow will be ours)."

In an apparent jibe at BJP, Sinha said that those who "tried to loot Bengal" were defeated in the last assembly elections.

The TMC MP said that despite being bound by a wheelchair, Banerjee had led from the front in the assembly polls and thwarted the "sinister plans of BJP".

Sinha credited the voters and Banerjee for his landslide victory in the Asansol Lok Sabha by-elections earlier this year.

He lambasted the Centre for "playing with the lives of lakhs of youths" in the name of Agnipath defence recruitment scheme.

Gorkhaland Territorial Authority (GTA) Chairman Anit Thapa, whose Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) recently won the elections to the semi-autonomous council in Darjeeling Hills, said that Banerjee has brought out the hills from the "vicious cycle of divisive politics and brought it on the path of development".