New Delhi, Jul 8(India Today): Former Union minister and former senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has come out in opposition of his son Jayant Sinha, a minister in the Modi government, for meeting eight men convicted of lynching a man in Jharkhand.

Reacting to his son's action, Yashwant Sinha said he does not approve of his son's action.

"Earlier I was the nalayak baap (useless father) of a layak beta (capable son). Now the roles are reversed," he said in a tweet on Saturday.

This comes a day after Jayant Sinha not only met the eight men in Ramgarh, Jharkhand, but went on to garland them and offer them sweets.

This happened during an event organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party to felicitate the eight men after they got bail from the Jharkhand High Court. A fast-track court had earlier held them and three others guilty of lynching a man in June 2017.

Taking a further dig at his son, Yashwant Sinha said, "I do not approve of my son's action [meeting eight men convicted of lynching a man]. But I know even this will lead to further abuse. You can never win."

Jayant Sinha's clarification

Meanwhile, earlier in the day Jayant Sinha, in a series of tweets, clarified his position about the controversy surrounding his meeting with the eight men.

He said that he has always held the stand that the fast-track court was wrong in sentencing the eight men.

"I have repeatedly expressed my misgivings about the fast-track court judgement sentencing each accused to life imprisonment. I am pleased that the Hon'ble High Court will hear the matter as a statutory court of appeal to test the correctness of the fast-track court order," he said in a tweet.

"In the Ramgarh case, the Hon'ble Ranchi High Court, which is the first court of appeal, has suspended the sentence of the accused and released them on bail while admitting their case. The case will once again be re-heard," he said.

Condemns all act of violence

He said he condemns all acts of violence and that any unlawful act should be punished with the full force of law.

"I unequivocally condemn all acts of violence and reject any type of vigilantism. The rule of law is supreme in our constitutional democracy. Any unlawful acts, particularly those that violate the rights of any citizen, should be punished with the full force of the law," he said.

Alimuddin Ansari, 40, was lynched on the suspicion that he was transporting beef in his vehicle, which in turn was later set on fire.

His wife, Maryam Khatun, on Friday said she will move the Supreme Court against the high court's bail order.