Once celebrities — former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu and Bollywood superstar Sunny Deol, have again emerged as poster boys — this time not as heroes.
Years after the people elected them as their representatives, they have not put up the “missing” posters of both Sidhu and Deol in their respective constituencies. Sidhu is Congress MLA from Amritsar East Assembly constituency, while Deol was elected as Gurdaspur MP in his first-ever elections as BJP candidate.
This is not for the first time that the “missing” posters of both of them were surfaced. Earlier also, “Missing Sidhu” and “Missing Sunny Deol” posters had made way on the walls of their respective constituencies. In fact, being four-time MP and now MLA, Sidhu has experienced this several times.
Earlier, in September 2009, when Sidhu represented the Amritsar parliamentary seat as BJP leader, similar posters were pasted by the Congress leaders. In August 2013, and later in July 2019 too, similar “missing” posters of the MLA were spotted across Amritsar.
The “Missing Sidhu” posters, put up by an NGO Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Sewa Society, also announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for anyone who gives information about the former cricketer.
Notably, Sidhu has currently shifted his base from Amritsar to Patiala - his bête noire and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s citadel - while sharpening his attacks against his own party’s Government and the Chief Minister.
The posters, titled ‘Gumshuda Di Talaash’, were pasted near Jauda Phatak where the unfortunate train tragedy took place in October 2018 during Dusehra festivities that had killed scores of people. Later, Sidhu had announced to adopt the families of this area only whose breadwinners lost lives in the train catastrophe, but never fulfilled it.
On the other hand in Pathankot, “missing” posters of Sunny Deol have been put up at bus stands and railway stations by Pathankot Youth Congress.
Carrying Sunny Deol picture and heading “Gumshuda ki Talaash”, the posters says that any person who meets “Sunny Deol ji” should contact Pathankot District Youth Congress and get “suitable reward”.
District Youth Congress chief Varun Kohli said the entire country is suffering due to corona, and Gurdaspur and Pathankot, represented by Sunny Deol, are also in this contagion’s grip. “But it doesn’t matter to the MP as he was busy in mayanagari, while the people here in this constituency are battling the pandemic. In such testing times, instead of being among the people, Sunny Deol is enjoying the comforts of home,” he said.
A representative at MP’s Pathankot office claimed that Sunny Deol has sent lakhs of masks, PPE kits, and sanitisers for the public during the Corona period. “Three advanced life support (ALS) ambulances equipped with modern facilities have also been sent for the people of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and Batala. Apart from this, many bridges and roads are being built. Despite this, those who accuse him of being away should be ashamed,” said the representative.