Sinha sacked as BJP spokesman

Published June 29, 2005

NEW DELHI, June 28: India’s former foreign minister Yashwant Sinha was stripped of his job as party spokesman on Tuesday in a standoff with Lal Krishna Advani, the head of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Mr Sinha had criticised Mr Advani for describing the Quaid-i-Azam during a recent visit to Pakistan as a secular man. The controversy forced Mr Advani to offer to quit as BJP president.

As former finance minister, Mr Sinha was seen as close to the BJP’s spiritual fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). He has been vocal in his criticism of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s handling of the peace dialogue with Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Pathways to peace
Updated 27 Apr, 2026

Pathways to peace

NEGOTIATIONS to hammer out the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement took nearly two years before a breakthrough was achieved....
Food-insecure nation
27 Apr, 2026

Food-insecure nation

A NEW UN-backed report has listed Pakistan among 10 countries where acute food insecurity is most concentrated. This...
Migration toll
27 Apr, 2026

Migration toll

THE world should not be deceived by a global migration count lower than the highest annual statistics on record —...
Immunity gap
Updated 26 Apr, 2026

Immunity gap

Pakistan’s Big Catch-Up campaign showed progress but also exposed the scale of gaps in routine immunisation.
Danger on repeat
26 Apr, 2026

Danger on repeat

DISASTERS have typically been framed as acts of nature. Of late, they look increasingly like tests of preparedness...
Loose lips
26 Apr, 2026

Loose lips

PAKISTANIS have by now gained something of an international reputation for their gallows humour, but it seems that...