Chandigarh: Much like actor and the new BJP MP from Gurdaspur, Sunny Deol, Gurpreet Singh Palheri, the man Deol controversially appointed as his “representative” in the parliamentary constituency, has little expertise in politics and is much more accomplished in the world of cinema.
Gurpreet is a writer and line producer who works for Bollywood and the Punjabi film industry. He has been associated with the Deol family for the past several years. The ties began when he helped Dharmendra with the production of film Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013) and Ghayal Once Again (2016).
The son of a dairy farmer, Gurpreet is from Palheri village near Chandigarh. He has a diploma in welding and was aiming for a career in the merchant navy when he first met film producer Darshan Aulakh.
“Darshan Aulakh was looking for a site in Punjab to shoot Veer-Zaara (2004) and he asked me to help him find a plot of land in my village and convince the villages to participate in the film,” he said in a television interview last year. “I did that and then somehow got associated with Aulakh permanently. I also worked with him for the film Yaara Naal Bahara (2005).”
“I have done all sorts of work starting with looking for shooting locations to helping film stars tie proper pagris,” he said in the interview.
Better known as “Gyaniji”, Gurpreet started his own company “Kisan Productions” in 2009 for the film Kisan (2009), which he did with Diljit Dosanjh with whom he has been associated for several years.
He worked as a line producer in Ardaas, Son Of Sardaar, Manje Bistre, Super Singh and Ambarsariya.
Gurpreet shot into limelight when he wrote the script for the film Sajjan Singh Rangroot, which was released in March last year. The film is about a Sikh soldier who served in the British Indian Army during World War 1. The lead role was played by Dosanjh.
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The inexperienced politician
Gurpreet has no experience in politics and was virtually dragged into the thick of Lok Sabha elections when Deol got the BJP ticket to fight from Gurdaspur. He stayed with the Deol family all through the campaign, organising his daily routine, meetings and fixing interviews. He is known to be a trusted aide of the family.
After the elections, while Deol visited only a few areas in his constituency as part of his thanksgiving tour, Gurpreet has been visiting villagers almost every day, thanking voters on Deol’s behalf.
Deol appointing Gurpreet to look after his official work, however, has raised eyebrows. The appointment is being seen as an indication that the actor-turned-politician will be an absentee MP.
Deol, however, justified the appointment, tweeting that a “controversy is being created out of nothing”.
— Sunny Deol (@iamsunnydeol) July 2, 2019
Gurpreet too defended the decision.
“I have been appointed only as his personal assistant, which basically means that I will be looking after his office work when he is away. An MP appointing a PA is not something new,” he told ThePrint.
“It does not mean that Sunny Deol is not going to be here in Gurdaspur and I am going to look after the constituency in his place.”
The Congress, however, has slammed the decision. “When Sunny Deol was contesting elections, he made it very clear that he is a novice in politics and that he will take time to learn the ropes of the trade,” state Congress president Sunil Jakhar said. “This is a part of the learning process I hope and wish for the people of Gurdaspur constituency that he learns fast.”
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There is a difference between an assistant and a representative. Celebrity candidates are obviously chosen for the winnability not their competence. The country is the poorer.