Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha on Sunday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address as "extremely courageous" and "thought-provoking".
Sinha, who crossed over to the Congress after BJP refused him a ticket from Bihar's Patna Sahib in this year's Lok Sabha elections, said that he calls "a spade a spade" and will "admit" (despite his political affiliations) that the speech of PM Modi reflected the problems that are currently facing the country.
BJP had fielded Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib in Bihar instead of Sinha. The actor had subsequently quit the BJP to join the opposition Congress and contested against Prasad but lost by a considerable margin.
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The actor-turned-politician tweeted that PM Modi certainly deserved to be applauded and appreciated as he "hit the nail right on the head, by speaking out on vital issues with a plan for a forward-looking India."
The water crisis problem affecting many Indian states, the problem of population explosion, the push for plastic ban and the promotion of domestic tourism-were some of the key aspects from Modi's I-Day speech that were appreciated by Sinha.
Sinha also hailed the Prime Minister's decision to introduce the new post of 'Chief of Defence Staff' as one which "touched an emotional chord" with him.
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Sinha, who called the PM a "friend and a guide to the nation," expressed a wish to speak to him about linking of rivers which he said was a dream project of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as it would help in solving the "flood and drought problem" of the country.
In the last tweet, Sinha made another "polite request" and said, "if this project could be announced next year on Independence Day, it would be like 'Sone pe Suhaga'."
This is not the first instance of Shatrughan Sinha warming up to the BJP. Previously, Sinha had welcomed the passage of Triple Talaq Bill, terming it a milestone- a stand which was contrary to his own party.
He is also not the first Congressman to praise the PM's speech. Earlier, senior leader P Chidambaram in a series of tweets had said, "all of us must welcome three announcements made by the Prime Minister on I-Day. Small family is a patriotic duty, respect wealth creators and shun single-use plastic."
(With inputs from ANI)
