No single party can follow morality path: Yashwant Sinha

In Lucknow to rally for BJP chief Rajnath Singh, former Union minister Yashwant Sinha speaks to Rajiv Srivastava.

On Modi's talk of political cleansing, yet BJP fielding candidates with criminal pasts.

There is no contradiction. The law says no one is a criminal until proven guilty. Let there be a level-playing field. What Modi said was that once government is formed he'd urge SC for special courts to expedite cases pending against such MPs.

On avoiding selection of such candidates

No single party can act as satyavaadi Harishchandra. It's unfair to expect one party to be righteous while others have candidates with criminal backgrounds. A law should be framed that should apply equally to all political parties. Why hasn't electoral law reform in this country progressed unilaterally? Changes have to be made and applied to all parties. Consensus on electoral reform is sine qua non for furthering electoral reforms. Why expect one party to follow the path of morality that could result in a loss during election? Whatever your vision, it can be implemented only when you are in government. What Modi is saying can't be implemented if he is not in the government.

Jaswant saying it's a new BJP

I had cordial relations with him when he was removed from BJP the first time and hope to maintain that. He is one of the few leaders removed from BJP twice. When one gets the Param Vir Chakra or the Victoria Cross twice it's called a Bar. Similarly, Singh has now reached the level of Bar. It's natural for him to say such things. It is unfortunate that Singh couldn't analyse the situation correctly.

On L K Advani's reaction

Advaniji said his writing a letter should not be seen as annoyance. I too had written a letter in 2009 but that doesn't mean I was annoyed. Members have a right to raise issues of concern with the party chief.