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LUCKNOW: Always known to hit the bull’s eye –whether it is in films or in politics—Shotgun’s aim has misfired this time and the actor-turned-politician seems to be heading for trouble in the election battleground.
Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha’s Poonam Sinha is the Samajwadi Party candidate for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat. She filed her nomination papers on April 18 and Shatrughan Sinha, who had joined the Congress on April 6, not only accompanied his wife for the nominations but also participated in the road show thereafter.
Shatrughan Sinha, while talking to reporters, named Akhilesh Yadav as a dynamic leader of tomorrow and called Mayawati a ‘noble lady’.
About half an hour later the Congress candidate Acharya Pramod Krishnam filed his nomination for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat and questioned Sinha’s absence. “If he is a Congress leader, he should have been by my side too,” he said.
As if on cue, Akhilesh Yadav, on the same day, said in Azamgarh that the Congress was a great betrayer. Congress president Rahul Gandhi returned the fire and said in Badaun that “SP and BSP were afraid of Prime Minister Modi who held the keys to the CBI”.
Though Shatrughan Sinha left Lucknow two days later, there is anger brewing in the Congress camp and the divide between SP and Congress is widening.
Samajwadis sources said that Sinha will return to campaign for his wife soon and is scheduled to hold four meetings in Lucknow. A Samajwadi functionary disclosed that Sinha will be asked to campaign in Kannauj (Dimple Yadav) , Azamgarh (Akhilesh Yadav) and Badaun (Dharmendra Yadav) where members of the Yadav clan are contesting .
Congressmen are furious at the ‘double standards’ of the actor.
“No one pleaded with him to join the Congress. If he was so enamored by the SP, he should have mounted the cycle (SP symbol). His behavior is inexplicable – how can you join one party, campaign for another and praise their leaders?” asked a veteran party leader.
The party top brass, however, is looking the other way for the moment.
Barring Acharya Pramod Krishnam, no Congress leader has publicly commented on the actor’s behavior but senior Congress leader will be taking up the issue with Priyanka Gandhi.
“We will definitely ask her to clarify the situation. If all Congressmen start campaigning for rival parties, our election will go for a toss,” a leader said.
Shatrughan Sinha’s election in Patna Sahib in Bihar is schooled for the last phase on May 19 and the actor will be filing his nomination papers later this month.
“We want him to rethink and if SP is so dear to him, he can opt for Samajwadi Party for his election too,” said a former UPCC president.
