Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha joined Trinamool Congress on Saturday weeks ahead of West Bengal Assembly elections, reports ANI. He joined the TMC in Kolkata in the presence of leaders Derek O Brien, Sudip Bandopadhyay and Subrata Mukherjee.

Talking to mediapersons, he said, “The tipping point was the attack on Mamata Ji in Nandigram. It was the moment of decision to join TMC and support Mamata Ji.”

He added, “BJP during Atal Ji’s time believed in consensus but today’s government believes in crushing and conquering. Akalis, BJD have left the BJP. Today, who is standing with BJP?”

Sinha left BJP on 21 April 2018, stating that “India’s democracy was in danger.” The former BJP leaders is vocal about PM Modi’s criticism ever since he left the party.

He first became Minister of Finance in November 1990 till 1991 in Chandra Shekhar’s Cabinet.

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He was also the finance minister between December 1998 and July 2002 under PM Vajpayee. From then to May 2004, he was India’s Foreign Minister.

A former IAS officer, he joined politics in 1984. His son Jayant Sinha is a BJP member and MP from Hazaribagh (Jharkhand). Although a Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Finance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014-19, he was given no ministerial responsibilities following re-election in 2019.