Congress misused Rajesh Khanna till the end says his soul brother

Bhupesh Raseen said: When I remember various episodes, then I feel that the Congress Party has not rightly valued the contribution of my brother, “First Super Star, Phenomena & Padma Bhushan”-Rajesh Khanna”.

Bhupesh claims to be the soul brother of the superstar of the millennium. He claims close proximity with Rajesh Khanna aka Kaka. He claims this proximity for more than two decades, till Rajesh breathed his last in his ill-fated Aashirwad bungalow.

It must be remembered that the late superstar of Bollywood turned politician Rajesh Khanna was MP from New Delhi constituency. This is where the president, prime minister, MPs, and top bureaucrats live. Rajesh represented this constituency after defeating BJP’s Shatrughan Sinha.

He represented the constituency from 1992 to 1996 during prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao’s tenure. According to Raseen, Rajesh was thereafter promised the Rajya Sabha seat by the senior party leaders. Congress leaders failed to fulfill their promise. He was outrightly betrayed.

However, despite this open betrayal, Rajesh remained a loyal and committed soldier of Congress party. He had immense reverence and adoration for late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi who brought him into active politics. Rajesh continuously campaigned for the party vigorously from 1991 till his death (2012) in almost all states elections. He managed to get lots of crowds & votes. Wherever Rajesh campaigned the Congress won, whether it was in Bengal, North East, MP, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi or Uttar Pradesh.

Raseen claimed that he accompanied Khanna during the election campaigns for the Congress Party in all the said elections. Raseen further added that just before his death on July 2012, he extensively campaigned in Punjab Legislative Assembly election during January 2012. This was despite not being well. Rajesh knew that he was not going to survive. Raseen said like all other times, they were together campaigning for the party. Accusing the Congress leadership Bhupesh Raseen said: in spite of the time to time promises by Congress president & high command, they did not induct him as an MP from Rajya Sabha.

Raseen disclosed that in late 2011, Rajesh knew that he was not going to survive due to illness. Therefore he wished that Raseen should continue his political legacy. According to him, Rajesh wanted Raseen to contest Lok Sabha election from Amritsar. This was to continue his political legacy. He claimed that Rajesh also told him to work hard for the people of Amritsar as both Rajesh and his soul brother Raseen belonged to Amritsar. Raseen complained that in spite of support from various top Congress high command leaders, at the last moment he was denied a ticket from Amritsar in the 2014 General Elections. Raseen while expressing his grudge against the Congress high command said: I can openly say that Congress has not used “Rajesh Khanna”; but they have definitely misused Rajesh while he was alive.

Revealing a secret not known to many Raseen said that in between other major parties had tried to attract Rajesh and offered for his induction as MP. They also offered him a berth in the cabinet. But Rajesh politely declined the lucrative offers stating that he won’t ditch the Congress party as he is a loyal soldier and would continue to be a Congressman till his death. We both decided to be in Congress in spite of all odds being “TRUE CONGRESSMEN”. Raseen further said that despite all these deceits by the Congress party and despite being denied party ticket from Amritsar, he will remain in Congress party and follow the footsteps of his soul brother, Rajesh Khanna.

Hope one day the much-maligned Congress high command will wake up and support their loyal soldiers. But this seems far-fetched as long as a single-family rule continues in the Congress party..