New Delhi, Feb 17: After Dara Singh, Smriti Irani, Sudha Chandran, and more recently, Maneka and Varun Gandhi, the BJP today formally welcomed three new stars to its fold. Its latest acquisitions include cricketer Navjot Siddhu, Bollywood actor Suresh Oberoi and TV artist Gajendra Chauhan (better remembered for his cameo as ‘Yudhishthir’ in ‘Mahabharata’). Addressing reporters here, BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan said that both Siddhu and Oberoi belonged to politically-oriented families. “Siddhu’s father has been a politician and Oberoi’s father participated in the freedom struggle.” In a lighter vein, Mahajan said that Chauhan has had a long association with politics through his portrayal of the role of ‘Yudhishthir’ in ‘Mahabharata’.

Mahajan said that while Oberoi and Chauhan had been campaigning for BJP earlier, the party now looked forward to the trio playing an active role in capacity of party members.
Talking about his decision to join the BJP, Siddhu said that the party had attracted him for its ideology. “None can doubt the unbending ideological conduct of Atal (Bihari Vajpyee) ji,” he said, adding that the BJP deserved credit for the nation’s growth.
Chauhan too, lauded the BJP for its ideals. “This is the only party in which everyone from the PM to the party workers remain ‘atal’ (firm). I will actively campaign for the party.”

Responding to a question about whether Suresh Oberoi’s son Vivek Oberoi and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai would help him in campaigning, he said “India is a democratic country. They are free to act on their own preferences”.
Bureau Report