Sunny Deol: I'm Not Affected By Criticism Of Opponents, Focused On The Task Ahead!
Lok Sabha elections 2019: Bollywood actor and BJP's Lok Sabha candidate, Sunny Deol says he is focused on the task ahead and is not affected by his opponents dubbing him an "outsider".
Bollywood
actor
and
BJP's
Lok
Sabha
candidate,
Sunny
Deol
says
he
is
focused
on
the
task
ahead
and
is
not
affected
by
his
opponents
dubbing
him
an
"outsider".
The
BJP
has
pitted
the
62-year-old
actor
against
sitting
MP
and
Punjab
Congress
president
Sunil
Jakhar
from
Gurdaspur.
"People
keep
asking
me
this
question
(on
rivals
dubbing
him
an
outsider)
and
I
say,
I
am
not
here
to
reply
to
what
all
is
being
said.''
"I
have
come
here
to
work
and
serve
the
people,
I
have
come
here
to
do
my
job.
My
job
is
to
understand
my
people,
my
constituency.''
Deol
said
during
his
campaign
trail
here.
The
son
of
veteran
actor
and
former
MP
Dharmendra,
Deol
has
been
accused
by
the
opposition
of
having
no
understanding
about
Punjab,
and
has
been
termed
an
"outsider" and
a
"parachute"
candidate.
Waving
at
crowds
from
the
sunroof
of
a
Range
Rover
or
from
atop
a
mini-truck,
Deol
has
been
attracting
a
large
number
of
people
at
his
roadshows.
He
is
being
accompanied
by
leaders
of
the
BJP
and
its
ally
Shiromani
Akali
Dal
(SAD).
He
said,
if
elected,
he
will
''never
let
the
people
down
and
never
betray
their
trust.''
''The
love
they
have
shown
towards
me
is
just
overwhelming.
I
am
that
kind
of
person
who
likes
to
take
peoples' sorrows
and
make
them
happy,
this
is
my
nature,''
said
Deol,
who
is
famous
for
his
hit
films
like
Border,
Gadar:
Ek
Prem
Katha,
Ghayal
and
Damini.
''I
am
a
newcomer,
but
I
am
'Ziddi'
(stubborn)
and
I
will
go
on
to
achieve
what
I
set
out
for,''
said
the
actor.
Ziddi
was
one
of
his
popular
movies.
''I
speak
dialogues
in
films
when
I
play
a
character
in
films,
that
is
what
I
have
been
doing.
In
real
life,
I
am
what
every
person
should
be,
which
is
truthful,
hardworking
and
sincere
in
what
one
is
doing.
Rest,
it
is
up
to
'Waheguru',''
Deol
said.
Congress
candidate
Jakhar
has
accused
Deol
of
having
no
understating
of
Punjab's
issues
and
asked
him
to
share
his
vision
for
the
Gurdaspur
constituency,
telling
him
that
"politics
is
a
serious
business
and
not
a
time
pass
activity".
I
am
from
Punjab
and
belong
here,
Deol
said,
adding
that
opponents
may
keep
saying
what
they
feel
like
but
that
does
not
affect
him.
There
are
many
issues
in
Gurdaspur,
mostly
related
to
farmers
and
youth,
he
said
and
assured
"I
will
look
for
solutions
to
these
issues.''
When
asked
why
he
chose
the
BJP,
Deol
said,
''I
chose
this
party
because
I
like
Narendra
Modi
quite
a
lot,
he
has
taken
the
nation
forward
during
the
past
five
years,
our
country
has
progressed.
India's
global
prestige
has
increased
under
this
government.
We
need
a
strong
leader,''
he
said.
''My
father
had
connected
with
Vajpayee
ji
and
now,
I
got
an
opportunity
to
connect
with
Modi
ji," Deol
said.
The
13
Lok
Sabha
seats
in
Punjab,
including
Gurdaspur,
will
go
to
polls
in
the
seventh
and
final
phase
of
polling
on
May
19.
Jakhar
won
the
seat
in
the
2017
bypoll,
which
was
necessitated
after
the
death
of
actor-turned-politician
Vinod
Khanna
of
the
BJP
in
April
that
year.