NEW DELHI: Indian actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who recently switched sides from the BJP to the Congress, was praising his new party on Friday, when he invoked Muhammad Ali Jinnah along with Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru. He said on Saturday he meant Maulana Azad.

“The Congress family, from Mahatma Gandhi to Sardar Patel to Mohammad Ali Jinnah to Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It is their party. They had the most important role in development and freedom of the country. This is the reason why I have come here (in Congress),” Mr Sinha said in Hindi at a rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara.

Reacting to Mr Sinha’s remarks, the Congress said he must “explain”.

“Shatrughan Sinha, whatever his views are, he must explain. But a few days ago, he was part of BJP. So let the BJP explain why he was a part of the BJP for so many years. I don’t have to explain the statement of every member (Congress). I can only speak for the party’s official position,” senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said.

Mr Sinha clarified on Saturday, saying, “Whatever I said yesterday was a slip of tongue. I wanted to say Maulana Azad but uttered Mohammad Ali Jinnah.”

Shatrughan Sinha, 72, was in Madhya Pradesh to campaign for Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath, who is contesting the national election from the Chhindwara parliamentary constituency.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2019