I ‘ve always been a part of the Sangh Parivar: Vinod Khanna

He said though Gurdaspur was politically conscious, there was very little awareness about environmental and other development related issues there. “There is very little industry and there is huge problem of unemployment. I would like to address these problems.”

Khanna is confident that only BJP could allow him the kind of space he needed tobring about these changes. “We need a stable government and I think BJP is the one that can provide it. We can’t keep having with governments being toppled every other day. And I don’t think we can survive with a coalition government,” he said.

And the actor who made a smooth transition from portraying villanish characters to one of Bollywood’s biggest heroes, has no hang-ups about associating with an organisation generally perceived as communal in its outlook. “I have always been a part of the Sangh Parivar. The RSS came into being for a different reason altogether. And I don’t think that the principles of the RSS are non-secular.”

He conveniently ducked the question when asked if he endorsed the liberal Vajpayee line or the more aggressive one propounded by Advani? “I do not know anything about the controversy. But I will obey what the party says. Once the party takes a decision, I will abide by it,” he said. He went to the extent of claiming that he was “apolitical.” He said, “You know I havenot studied politics, I do not know what a party formation is like. I do not even know how to file my election papers. So at the moment I don’t want to delve into the finer points of politics. I am not aware…I wasn’t aware. Today I have entered politics and I will make sure that I will get to know every ideology and every thing that is going on.

Khanna said he would have had no problems in joining the Congress if he was convinced of its stability at the Centre. “But there’s so much in-fighting within the party. They don’t have a prime ministerial candidate…there is nobody in the party as capable as Atal Behari Vajpayee,” he claimed rumours about him being propped by industrialists do not worry Khanna. “I have had industrial connections for a long time. Tomorrow, when I am elected I may call upon them to put up industries in Gurdaspur. I think they will consider it.” So he has no qualms about exploiting his connections with the industrialists? “Of course not. I am going to give them an opportunityto invest in my constituency,” he said.