Danseuse Mallika Sarabhai had announced that she would contest the election against the BJP's prime ministerial candidate LK Advani from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat.
She said that she would be contesting the election as an independent candidate but would not mind if the Congress offered her support. "I am a people's candidate and I stand for them".
The renowned dancer said that she her desire to enter into the political field was because of the degeneration of politicians and the politics of divisiveness. Sarabhai said that her plank was inclusiveness and she would fight the politics of hatred and corruption.
The daughter of Vikram Sarabhai, a towering figure in Indian space programme, Mallika has acted in movies. She had been booked for various charges when she raised her voice against the persecution of minorities, especially Muslims, in Gujarat.
After the Godhra riots, Sarabhai had denounced the role of Narendra Modi-led BJP government. She says that Congress had offered her ticket for the Assembly elections several times in the past but she felt that now she had to fight the Parliamentary elections.
TIH Bureau
Popular stories
-
"The burning of Sabarmati Express at Godhra was a pre-planned conspiracy", claim leaders of Patel agitation. They have alleged... -
Shahrukh Khan has said that he offers Id prayers at the roof of his house along with Muslim friends. The reason is that he would get mo... -
Tipu Sultan was a great king and an Indian hero who was amongst the first to fight the British and was able to defeat them. The 18th cen... -
Hundreds of residents, activists and local politicians burnt the copies of the Hindi newspaper Navbharat Times today. They were upset w... -
On the 17th anniversary of the demolition of the historic Babri Masjid, the protests were mostly held in Southern Indian states like Tamil N...