Sonu Sood announces younger sister’s entry into politics, will contest Punjab polls from home constituency Moga

The announcement of Malvika’s entry into politics came after Sonu Sood held a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister, Charanjit Singh Channi, on Friday. Interestingly, Sood had shot into the limelight for his philanthropic works during the Covid lockdown, when he often arranged buses and other transport for thousands of migrants who were trying to return home.
Likewise, his sister, Malvika Sood Sachar, who lives in Moga, too, is into social work in the fields of education and healthcare via their ‘Sood Charity Foundation’, which the siblings run in the memory of their deceased parents.

“My sister Malvika wants to serve the people of Punjab. She has expressed her wish to contest the Punjab polls next year. She wants to return the love and respect that people have showered on our family always. She is prepared to take this next step and her commitment is unparalleled. Doing sewa is the core value of Punjabiyat, which we siblings have grown up with here. The most basic example of this is serving langar (community kitchen),” said Sood. He, however, added that they were yet to take a call on which political party Malvika will join and it will be revealed at the right time.

Asked about his meeting with CM Channi, Sood said that it ‘felt great’ meeting the Punjab Chief Minister as he was a ‘very polite person’. However, he added, that joining a political party was a lifetime decision and it is more about ideologies, not just casual meetings.

Sood who recently met Channi and had earlier also met Aam Aadmi Party convener, Arvind Kejriwal, said that he was not averse to meeting anyone including Sukhbir Singh Badal, when asked if he was in touch with SAD also. “What’s the harm in meeting anyone, I can meet Sukhbir Badal too,” he said, adding that speculations of his meeting with Navjot Singh Sidhu were all ‘rumors’.

He, however, stated that Malvika was most likely to contest the 2022 polls from Moga constituency. “Moga is where we have spent our lives. She will most probably contest from here,” he said.

Sood, on Sunday, also announced two projects in the healthcare sector for the people of Moga, which he said will be implemented immediately. “Families affected by dengue who cannot afford treatment will get Rs 5,000 help from our side. Also, if patients need dialysis but cannot afford it, we will get it done,” he announced, adding “Healthcare will be Malvika’s top priority.”
“She will also address the issue of unemployment in the state. Youths in Punjab choose drugs only when they don’t get work and are unemployed. We are already working on it,” he said.

Asked whether he, too, will be joining politics, Sood refused to deny it. “It is a big decision in someone’s life to enter politics because then you have to ensure each promise you make to the people is fulfilled. First, it is important to support Malvika as she is connected to our roots in Moga. I will reveal my own plans later,” he said.

He said that priority should not be on the right parties but the right candidates. “People should not go after the parties but vote for the right candidate.”

“Even for Malvika, my stance remains the same. Every elected representative should give an undertaking before making promises to people and if he/she fails to fulfill them, people should hold him/her accountable,” said Sood. “It is not that you can serve society only by joining politics. But yes, it just gives you a bigger platform,” he said. “It is our parents who have taught us to serve society since our childhood,” he said.

Asked if he will be campaigning for any party for the Punjab polls, Sood said that he will not campaign for anyone till he is convinced with the party’s ideology. “I can only promote ideologies to which I agree. I cannot take dictations from any party and campaign for anyone blindly if I am not convinced with that party or person’s ideology. One should fight their own battles and Malvika always had her own journey. It is her decision to fight the polls,” he said.

“Our only motive is to change the lives of the people who are needy and underprivileged. Healthcare will be our top priority, saving someone’s life is the most important,” said Sood.

In June last year, when Sood had started ‘Ghar Bhejo’ project for the migrants who were walking to their home states and arranged transport for them, he had told The Indian Express that neither he had any plans to join politics, nor was he is going to be a ‘star campaigner’ for BJP or any other party.

Sood had said that earlier most of the offers that he got to join politics were from his home state Punjab, which he turned down. “From Punjab, I know all of them (politicians) very well such as Captain (Amarinder Singh). I have been asked by both the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress if I was keen on contesting polls in Punjab or doing any political activity for them. But I said no, I was happy being an actor and I enjoy my profession. They just asked if I was interested, I said no and it ended there. I get feelers from parties whenever there are polls, especially in Punjab.”