Away from the hustle bustle of elections in Uttar Pradesh, actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha today expressed surprise over the party keeping him out of list of 40 star campaigners in the politically crucial state.
"Shatrughan Sinha who has for long served as star campaigner for BJP in elections in UP and is well versed with every nook and corner of the state has been kept out of the list of campaigners for the party in UP," Sinha told a section of media on arrival here.
"I am not complaining...It's on party leadership to chose star campaigners," the actor-turned BJP leader said.
"I wish good luck to the party in UP," Sinha, who used to criss cross the country as star campaigner for party during time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, said.
Asked that former TV actor and minister Smriti Irani is among the star campaigner in UP and not he, Sinha, a Bollywood star of yesteryears, quipped "In the eyes of leadership she and others in the list must have been very important...I have nothing to say; people will decide."
In reply to a question if due to his closeness with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD President Lalu Prasad the party is not giving him important assignment, Sinha popularly kwown as "Bihari Babu" said "yes I have cordial and family ties with the two great leaders of Bihar."
"This is 'shishtachar' (etiquette) and has nothing to do with politics," the second term Lok Sabha member from Patna Saheb, said adding "I am a product of healthy politics practised by Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan to follow an ideology and not hate any person."
Sinha, who of late has been sulking within his own party since Bihar poll in which he was kept out by the central leadership, however, swore by his party saying "I am firmly and strongly attached with BJP."
On arrival here, the Patna Saheb MP went to Sai Baba temple to inaugurate a Silver Throne.
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