Shatrughan denies difference with Sushil Modi

With his assertions blaming Sushil Kumar Modi for BJP's poor show in the recent bypolls in Bihar causing a flutter, actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha today dismissed speculations that there were differences between him and the senior party leader.

"I have no difference with Sushil Modi. He is my personal and political friend," Sinha said clarifying he was not targeting any individual.

Sinha, second term BJP Lok Sabha MP from Patna Saheb, told PTI that he intended to highlight that collective leadership and participation of all leaders could have yielded better results for the party in Bihar by-polls in which it lost 4-6 to grand alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress.

"My observations on Bihar by-polls was in the context of larger party interest," Sinha, popularly known as "Bihari Babu", said over the phone from Delhi.

He had on Tuesday blamed Sushil Modi for the debacle in the Bihar bypolls accusing him of acting as "one man army".

The BJP MP said that contribution of Sushil Modi, who served as Deputy Chief Minister in the NDA rule, in the rise of the party in the state cannot not be overlooked.

Sinha, who served as Union minister in the NDA cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said that the party needs to unitedly prepare for the crucial Assembly poll in Bihar next year.

He once again stressed on "introspection" and favoured collective leadership for better results in state elections and promised to play with all sincerity whatever role was assigned to him.

The actor-turned BJP leader had yesterday said that he would not shun responsibility of leading the party in next year's Assembly election, if leaders "collectively" picked him for the role.