After winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, many film stars and artists reached Parliament, but most of them are away from their parliamentary constituencies due to the lockdown enforced to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
However, they are taking the digital route to reach out to their voters. Celebrity MPs are connected with the public through internet and are monitoring relief operations online. Out of the four prominent celebrity MPs of the BJP, north west Delhi MP Hansraj Hans is in his constituency while other three are in Mumbai.
Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan told IANS that he was in Mumbai when the lockdown was enforced. He said his building was sealed after a corona-infected person was found there and due to this he could not move.
Ravi Kishan said that even if he goes to Gorakhpur by arranging a pass, he will be put in quarantine for 14 days. Talking about avoiding crowds etc, he said that people throng to see him when he was present in Gorakhpur. In this situation, he said he is staying put in Mumbai as per the advice of the administration.
Ravi Kishan said that he interacts with the public and workers in Gorakhpur at least three times a day through video-conferencing. Ravi Kishan, who claimed to have distributed 2.80 lakh kg rations in Gorakhpur, said that he is arranging it for the people of Purvanchal living in Mumbai also. According to him, around 2,500 people call him everyday.
Sufi Singer and MP from north west Delhi Hansraj Hans is in Delhi. He said he is arranging ration and lunch for people along with his team. He also inspected the community kitchen of Seva Radha Swami Satsang, located at Bhatti Mines, Delhi on Monday. According to close associates of the MP, during the lockdown, he is connected to the public on phone and through video-conferencing.
Mathura MP Hema Malini is in Mumbai. On May 11, she met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on the issue of migrants belonging to her constituency and Uttar Pradesh. According to close associates of Hema Malini, when the lockdown was placed she was in Mumbai, so she said she is conducting relief operations from there. She interacts with the public through phone and video-conferencing and then asks administration to sort out their problems.
MP from Punjab's Gurdaspur, Sunny Deol, is also not in his parliamentary constituency. Congress workers are targeting him for his absence but people close to him say that he used to arrange ration, food and ambulance for people even while staying away from his constituency.
In Pathankot, people again protested against the district MP and Bollywood actor Sunny Deol in a different way. Reportedly, residents gathered to protest on bridge number five of Sujanpur constituency on the Jammu-Amritsar National Highway. People were seen looking for Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol and stopped vehicles heading to Gurdaspur such as motorcycles, cars and trucks to see if anyone of them has seen MP Sunny Deol anywhere? Agitated residents also showcased the posters of Sunny Deol on which "our MP has gone missing" was imprinted.
At the same time posters of MP's disappearance were being put up in various places as people were of the notion that during this unprecedented time, when people are straving to death, they keenly wait for their elected leaders to show up, know their condition and fulfil their needs. But, our Bollywood actor turned MP since elected has been missing from his constituency.
Agitated natives wants to know about the place where MP is hiding. They further added that, MLA Joginder Pal, despite being ill, is visiting the houses and villages of his constituency to inquire about the condition of the people. MLA is even distributing ration, spending money from his pocket. Youth Congress district president Toshit Mahajan said that they too are engaged in the service of the people but where our MP has been?
Natives of Sunny Deol's constituency asked "their leader to visit and know the condition of the people in his constituency."