Yashwant Sinha says his remarks 'completely misunderstood'

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha today contended his remarks in Goa yesterday had been "completely misunderstood" and misinterpreted but the comments he made at a conference indicated that he was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without naming him.

At a panel discussion in the 'Difficult Dialogues' conference in Dona Paula yesterday, Sinha was quoted as having said: "The people of India will consign him to the dust, you just have to wait for the next elections", without naming Modi.

Sinha today denied that he made any reference to Modi.

"It is complete misinterpretation. Anyone who has reported this, has completely misunderstood what I have said," he said.

During the discussion, Sinha was asked about the present day culture of "I, me, myself" and what was the use for dialogue in such case.

The former minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government replied that elected representatives including to Parliament and Assemblies have to continuously go back to the people who elect them.

Sinha then referred to the Emergency of 1975 and said the country knew what happened to the "most concerted effort in our country to still the voice of dissent".

"We all know how the people of India reacted. So, there would be aberrations here, aberrations there, we might be very concerned about the present situation because some of these things according to us are taking place.

"But the great Indian society will take care of it and will consign to the dust those who do not believe in dialogue in India. The people of India will consign him to the dust, you just have to wait for the next elections," Sinha said yesterday.

Today, he said the reference to Emergency has nothing to do with the present government.