INDIA VOTES 2024: Ex-MP Vinod Khanna’s report card scores over Sunny Deol’s

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, March 18

Actor Sunny Deol’s tenure as a BJP MP has triggered comparison with Vinod Khanna’s, yet another superstar and the late BJP MP, as far as ushering in development works for the Gurdaspur constituency is concerned.

Khanna had earned the sobriquet of ‘Pullan Da Sardar’ (King of bridges) for getting strategically important bridges constructed.

The Mukerian bridge over the Beas, which interconnects Gurdaspur district to Hoshiarpur, and the Kathlour bridge which interlinks 27 villages in Bhoa were two of Khanna’s projects. After then Centre had cited the “paucity of funds” as excuse for not releasing money, the actor got the work done through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) whose chairman was known to him.

In comparison, Deol’s aides claim the groundwork for the Makkoran Pattan bridge. The fact is that the bridge exists only on the paper.

In Parliament, Khanna rarely missed the proceedings while his successor’s attendance was low. “When in Parliament, Khanna was always keen to learn how the forum worked and also how things worked out in Delhi’s corridors of power,” said his long-time political adviser Dr Samrendra Sharma.

Moreover, unlike his predecessor, he never took part in any debate. Deol’s rarely visited the constituency while his predecessor’s visits were consistent. While Khanna regularly presided over meetings of the Vigilance and Monitoring Committee where the utilisation of central funds was discussed, his successor rarely turned up at these meetings.

The MP rarely met administration officials while Khanna was known to call up all three SSPs and two DCs of his constituency on a regular basis.

A known fact is that Deol did not even know the names of senior officers while Khanna knew a majority of them personally. Throwing protocol to the winds, he would often meet Pathankot and Gurdaspur DCs at their camp offices. Deol never engaged in such subtleties.

It was at the insistence of Khanna that a civil airport came up in Pathankot. To counter this, Deol’s aides say Vande Bharat’s halt in Pathankot is because of his efforts.

Actor Vs actor

• The Mukerian bridge over the Beas, which interconnects Gurdaspur district to Hoshiarpur, and the Kathlour bridge, which interlinks 27 villages in Bhoa, were two of Vinod Khanna’s favourite projects
• In comparison, Sunny Deol’s aides claim the groundwork for the Makkoran Pattan bridge. The fact is that the bridge exists only on paper