Shatrughan Sinha at Fatehpur village. Picture by Amit Bhelari

As the voting for the Patna Sahib constituency draws near, Amit Bhelari of The Telegraph catches up with Shatrughan Sinha of the BJP to talk about his rivals, achievements and regrets

What is your USP?

My personality and my commitment to the people, especially those in Patna. My image has never been tarnished and I have never faced any allegation in my political and professional life.

How effective would you be in the House?

In a recent data released by the Lok Sabha, my name was listed among the top 30 MPs. The House put me above many other important persons. So you can judge how effective I would be in the House. My party is my power and I am sure that the BJP will get 300 plus in this general election. I must tell you that I could play a major role in the core team of Narendra Modi.

Who is your main rival in the Patna Sahib parliamentary constituency?

If it is NaMo NaMo all the way then I have to say Om NaMo Shivai. For me, there is no rival. All are very nice people. Kunal Singh terms it a contest between a prince and pauper. He is calling me a prince. Parveen Amanullah comes from a very cultured and respected family. Similarly, Gopal Prasad Sinha is a very fine person and a brilliant doctor. People should take a lesson from this constituency where no one uses derogatory words against each other. Mat bhed ho lekin man ka bhed nahi hona chahiye (there might be differences in ideology but there should not be bitterness in our hearts towards each other).

What has been your biggest achievement in the past five years?

I will start with my family life. I have a beautiful and talented daughter Sonakshi, two sons and my wife Poonam Sinha. In terms of professional achievement, once the polling in Patna Sahib gets over I would head for Tampa, Florida, where I would be honoured for extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema at the IIFA awards. On the political front, I would like to say that I have not faced any allegation or any corruption charge in my entire life.

One thing which you wanted to do but could not?

I wanted to establish the country’s biggest multi super-speciality hospital in Patna but could not do so.

How true is the allegation that you rarely visit your own constituency?

It is a rumour spread by some disgraceful workers in the party. You can check my visit details from the airport and Kadamkuan police station. I visit the city around four times a month.

Will Sonakshi campaign for you in Patna Sahib?

No, Sonakshi will not come to Patna to campaign for me. Why does she need to campaign for any political event? I can campaign for myself. The crowd would go berserk if she visits Patna to canvass for me.