Atal brought me into politics, says Siddhu

Indore, Sep 7 (UNI) Claiming to be a fan of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former cricketer Navjot Singh Siddhu today said he entered politics due to Mr Vajpayee.

''Mr Vajpayee is my ideal and I have forayed into politics just beacuse of him'', Mr Siddhu told reporters here.

''I had never thought of joining politics and therefore declined the offer of senior BJP leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to contest from the Amritsar constituency. But I could not say ''no'' to Mr Vajpayee who contacted me on phone'', Mr Siddhu said, adding ''A jawan could not ignore a general's command''.

''After 13 days of campaigning, I had been elected from Amritsar with 1.25 lakh vote majority'', the BJP leader said.

''Politics is not a profession but a mission for me at a time when the people have lost confidence in politicians'', Mr Siddhu added.

UNI