Sunny Deol's absence annoys Gurdaspur BJP workers

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, January 20

MP Sunny Deol’s prolonged absence from his parliamentary constituency is likely queer the pitch for the BJP as far as motivation to its workers is concerned.

Enough damage done

His contribution to the constituency is zilch. His performance and attendance in Parliament has been below par. How will we face voters in 2024? Enough damage has been done by Deol. —A Delhi leader

Reportedly, the consensus among party leaders is that when the time comes to vote in the next election, people will eventually be reminded of “la-affaire Deol” and hence will vote against the party citing “its non-performance”.

The last time he was here was in September 2020 during the pandemic. The actor had then embarked on a whistle-stop tour urging people to stay indoors before he himself became a victim of the virus while shooting outdoors.

BJP leaders admit that they have burnt their fingers many times over by having fielded him last time. “His contribution to the constituency is almost nil. His performance in Parliament has been below par. His attendance in the Lok Sabha, too, has been extremely low. How will we face the voters in 2024? We have now veered around to the notion that a local candidate, who knows the political topography of the area well, should be fielded in the next elections. Enough damage has been done by Deol,” remarked a senior Delhi-based leader.

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, while on a tour of Gurdaspur in November, had gone on record as saying “a hunt is on to identify a local leader”.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa remarked, “Everybody knows how he was virtually arm-twisted to join politics. The blunder committed in 2019 is sure to come back and haunt the BJP in 2024. It is a classic case of the chickens coming home to roost.”