Will continue campaign to protect India's secular fabric: Yashwant Sinha

Ravi S.Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 30

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Following the conclusion of his 5000 km-long ‘Gandhi Shanti  Yatra’ in New Delhi on Thursday, former finance minister Yashwant Singh announced that he will continue his campaign to protect the country’s “secular fabric” from Narendra Modi government and to oppose its “anti-Constitutional” policies, including CAA.

“This is not the end. We have come from Raj Ghat with inspiration not to back off from struggle,” Sinha said at a press conference after he concluded his Yatra and paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his death anniversary.

“All through my Yatra I noticed palpable resentment among people against the dictatorial government at the Centre,” Sinha said.

Former chief ministers of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Prithviraj Chavan ( a Congress leader) and Suresh Mehta respectively, president of Samajwadi Janata  Party ( Rashtriya)  and former Union  Minister Kamal Morarka, former MP Pawan Verma who was recently expelled from JD(U), Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar and  Sharad Yadav were among those who also addressed the press conference with Sinha.

The Yatra, which was flagged off at the Gateway of India by NCP’s Sharad Pawar, passed through Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan before reaching Delhi.

Sinha, who had floated a platform “Rashtra Manch” December last year following his fallout with the BJP, said the opposition party’s concentration should be in Gujarat-the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He reminded the leaders present that the BJP scraped through in the last Assembly election, but can be halted in the next election.

“It is fertile land and we can do many things,” said Sinha.

Responding to a specific question on the possibility of him heading a coalition of opposition parties against the BJP juggernaut, Sinha said: “ I am not in any political party.  It is for the opposition parties to consider what needs to be done.”