April 23
Bollywood actor Sunny Deol is the latest from the film fraternity to throw his hat in the political ring. The 62-year-old joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Capital on Tuesday.
The actor was welcomed into the party fold by union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal.
Speaking on his political debut, Deol said that he was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and took the political plunge as he wanted to make a difference in public life, and would rather have his work speak for himself.
“The way my father (film star Dharmendra) was attached with Atal ji, today I have come to join Modi ji,” Deol, said, while addressing the media.
“Whatever I can do for this family (BJP), I will do it….I won’t talk, I will show you through my work,” Deol added.
Last week, the actor had met the party president Amit Shah at the Pune airport which had led to speculation about him making a political debut. Deol is likely to be fielded from Gurdaspur – late actor Vinod Khanna’s bastion for over a decade – which the BJP lost to the Congress after the latter’s demise.
Deol’s father, Dharmendra, had also contested on a BJP ticket from Bikaner (Rajasthan) in the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections. Dharmendra’s second wife, Hema Malini, is a BJP MP from Mathura. She is seeking a re-election from the same constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
The 62-year-old actor is best known for his roles as a brawny, action hero in superhit films like ‘Border’, ‘Gadar: Ek Prem’, ‘Ghatak’ and ‘Narsimha’.