MP Sunny Deol appoints 'representative' to Gurdaspur constituency

Bollywood actor and MP Sunny Deol has appointed a writer as his "representative" to the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency, a move that came under fire from the ruling Congress, which described it as a "betrayal" of the voters' mandate.

In a letter issued on the letterhead of the Gurdaspur MP, Deol appointed Gurpreet Singh Palheri as his "representative" to "attend meetings and follow important matters".

"I hereby appoint Gurpreet Singh Palheri, son of Supinder Singh, resident of village Palheri, district Mohali, Punjab, as my representative to attend meetings and follow important matters pertaining to my Parliamentary constituency, Gurdaspur (Punjab), with concerned authorities," the letter signed by Deol reads.

Palheri, who is a writer and line producer, said the letter was issued on June 26.

He tried to downplay the issue, saying, "It (appointment) is for local issues. It is like being in 24-hour service of people of Gurdaspur."