Patna : Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who is not on good terms with the BJP presently after being sidelined in the recent Bihar elections, has met “dear friends” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad separately.
Sinha, who is the BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib, had a cordial meeting with Prasad at Patna Airport on Tuesday.
Sidelined BJP MP justifies meeting, saying he believes in maxim, ‘Once a friend, always a friend’
Prasad, accompanied by wife Rabri Devi, exchanged pleasantries with Shatrughan and his elder brother Lakhan Sinha and went for a photo-op of the interaction. Sources close to Sinha, who were with him at the time, said Prasad in a lighter vein patted the ‘Bihari Babu’ for single-handedly taking on the leadership of the BJP for trying to sideline him. “It’s a matter of appreciation that you alone have posed a challenge to the BJP leadership,” the RJD supremo said.
Sinha, who is a second-term MP from Patna Sahib, had a warm and cordial meeting with Nitish Kumar at a marriage function here last night during which they shared fond memories and their affection for each other.
Kumar quipped during meeting that “election time was good since we used to meet very often, unlike now. We should meet more frequently”, sources close to Sinha said.
When asked about his meeting with rivals Nitish and Lalu, Sinha told PTI, “I believe in the maxim ‘once a friend always a friend’.
“We know each other very well for long and our friendship should not be seen only from political angle… it’s friendship forever.”
Sinha, a close associate of BJP veteran L K Advani, who is cut up with the BJP leadership after being sidelined in the recent Bihar elections, has caused embarrassment to his party on several occasions by meeting Nitish and Lalu and also praising them.
Nitish had also reciprocated and described Sinha in recent times as “the pride of Bihar”.
“We know each other very well for long and our friendship should not be seen only from political angle… it’s friendship forever.”- Shatrughan Sinha, BJP MP, talking about the meetings
