Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi joins BJP

New Delhi, April 26 (IANS) After Hans Raj Hans and actor Sunny Deol, Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi on Friday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, adding more star power to the ruling party in election season.

Besides Mehndi, Hans Raj Hans's son Navraj Hans, who is also a singer and cricketer joined the party.

Union Minister Vijay Goel welcomed Mehndi into the BJP at the party headquarters here. Also present on the occasion were Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, singer-turned-politician Hans Raj Hans and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, all Lok Sabha election candidates.

After joining the party, Mehndi said he would campaign for Hans, who joined the BJP earlier this week. He has been fielded from the reserved North-West Delhi seat replacing outgoing MP Udit Raj.

Mehndi said that he has no immediate plans for contesting elections.

Denied ticket, Udit Raj promptly joined the Congress, calling the BJP an "anti-Dalit" party.

The party's all seven Lok Sabha candidates also interacted with the media persons over lunch.

Speaking to reporters, Tiwari accused Delhi Chief Minister of spreading lies in the city. He said, "The Kejriwal government is misleading the people of the city on the issue of full statehood. Had they worked in the last four years, they would not have asked for votes in the name of statehood."

Highlighting the issue of water shortage in the city, Tiwari, who is contesting against Congress' Sheila Dikshit and AAP's Dilip Pandey, he said, "The BJP is fully dedicated to provide water supply to all the houses in the city."

BJP's Chandani Chowk candidate, Harsh Vardhan, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has taken strong decisions for the country such as surgical strike in 2017, air strikes across the border and mission Shakti, "remains in the hearts of the people".

He said that there is a positive wave in the country. He also said that Prime MInister got several international awards in last five years and the entire world knows that India is changing under his leadership.

Harsh Vardhan said the BJP has aimed to make the country free from Maoism, castesim and terrorism by 2022.

Meanwhile, party's New Delhi candidate Meenakshi Lekhi, who is contesting against Congress' Ajay Maken and AAP's Brijesh Goyal, said the Opposition is facing the crisis of issues and thus lying to the people to halt development of the country.

"But they are still unaware that crores of the citizens of the country have again decided to give a huge mandate to the party in 2019 elections," Lekhi said.

South Delhi's BJP candidate Ramesh Bidhuri thanked the party for reposing faith in him again and said that even if opponents tried their best by spreading lies, the people of the country would support Modi for his nationalist views.

Attacking Kejriwal, Bidhuri, who is facing Congress' candidate boxer Vijender Singh and AAP's Raghav Chadha said, "From Ramleela maidan Kejriwal had said that if corruption mixes with politics, then change politics. But now his party and leaders have emerged as most corrupt."

Cricketer-turned-politician, Gautam Gambhir, who is contesting against AAP's Atishi Marlena and Congress' Aravinder Lovely, said he joined politics after he was impressed by the world's biggest party's ideology. He said, "Modi has worked non-stop for the country in the last five years.

"While playing for the country, I always tried to take the country forward. Despite new in politics, I want the people of Delhi to show the same affection as in 2014," he said.

Hans, who is fielded from North-West Delhi against Congress' Rajesh Lilothia and AAP's Gugan Singh, said the popularity of Modi is visible everywhere. "Today India is among five fastest growing economies of the world. Was it the case before 2014 when the news of scams dented the country's image?" he asked.

The elections in Delhi are scheduled on May 12 in the sixth phase. The BJP had won all the seven seats from the national capital in 2014.