Kolkata: Asserting that he was not like other celebrity politicians who "disappear after the polls", famed music composer Bappi Lahiri, contesting the Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket, said he aspires to turn his constituency in West Bengal into a tourism hub.
The ‘Disco King’ also plans to set up a music academy in Sreerampur in Hooghly district from where he is contesting.
"People often complain that celebrities after joining politics are not seen once the polls are over. But I am not like them. I would work for development. I want to bring forth the historical significance of Sreerampur and turn it into a tourism hub," Lahiri said addressing the media here.
Situated on the bank of Hooghly, Sreerampur is a pre-colonial town with a rich history. Part of the Danish settlement, the town was known as ‘Frederiksnagore’ from 1755 to 1845.
Credited with synthesizing disco music in Bollywood, Lahiri said his music will form the base of his poll campaign.
"Music is my soul and naturally my campaign too will be musical," said the singer/composer who is working on developing a few songs to promote both his party and himself for the polls.
Lahiri, who ruled the charts in the 1980s and 1990s giving tunes mega hit films like ‘Disco Dancer’, ‘Namak Halaal’, ‘Dance Dance’,’Commando’, and ‘Sharaabi’ among others, said he has plans to open a music academy in Sreerampur to nurture and train local budding talents.
He said his immense respect for Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party`s adherence to Swami Vivekananda`s principles, inspired him to join the party.
"Under the leadership of (prime ministerial candidate) Narendra Modi, BJP is coming to power at the centre and I sincerely hope that the people of Bengal will vote for us so that we can work for their development and welfare," he said.
Pitted against sitting MP from Trinamool Congress Kalyan Banerjee and Congress` Abdul Mannan, the 62-year old musician exuded confidence about his victory.
"Only god can defeat or destroy. No human being, or party can defeat me," he asserted.
Meanwhile, state BJP president Rahul Sinha said the party has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) after Lahiri`s posters and banners were removed from some places allegedly by Trinamool Congress workers.
"Trinamool is apprehending defeat so it is adopting all kinds of unfair means. While the party is known for its terror tactics it now has stooped so low that its workers are pulling down our posters and banners. We have lodged a complaint to EC," he said.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.