Actor-politician Sunny Deol has been declared “missing” in posters that have surfaced at a few public places in Pathankot in Punjab. “Gumshuda ki Talash (search for missing), MP Sunny Deol,” say the posters that were also spotted at the railway station.
Sunny Deol, who debuted in politics last year, won his first Lok Sabha election as a BJP candidate from Gurdaspur. The 63-year-old actor defeated Congress MP Sunil Jakhar in a triangular contest that also featured Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Soon after, the new MP was criticized for nominating writer Gurpreet Singh Palheri as his representative in his parliamentary constituency, to “attend meetings and follow important matters” on his behalf. Critics said it proved the actor had no intentions of giving his 100 per cent to his new role, NDTV reported.
Sunny Deol’s attendance in Parliament has also been less than impressive. In the very first session, he was absent for 28 days and attended only nine sittings, according to records.
On the “missing” posters, Congress leader Manish Tewari tweeted: “Not Surprising… same thing happened to his father Dharmendra in Bikaner. Gurdaspur missed the chance of a good man @sunilkjakhar representing them again. Would have added to @INCIndia’s strength in Parliament.”
Sunny Deol is the third of his family to join the BJP. His father Dharmendra was also a BJP MP and his step-mother, Hema Malini, was elected MP for the second time last year.
A section in his constituency may seem upset, but the actor has pulled his weight as star campaigner for the BJP in polls in Haryana and Jharkhand.
He also attended the opening of the Kartarpur corridor along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November and tweeted photos from the event. The corridor links Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur.
