By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, April 12 (IANS): Actor-politician Raj Babbar is surprised and upset with news reports that he has opted to campaign as a Congress candidature from the Ghaziabad Lok Sabha constituency instead of shooting for Boney and Sanjay Kapoor's "Tevar".

Flabbergasted, he said: "Headlines like 'Raj Babbar Chooses Roles Over Poles' sacrifice basic decency to grab attention. These reports give out a terribly wrong and unfair signal. I am not a first-time elector. I've been balancing my film and political careers for 20 years. Has any producer ever complained?"

Babbar says he had explicitly made it clear that he wouldn't be able to shoot with the "Tevar" team during the first phase of the campaigning.

"It wasn't as if I informed them as an afterthought that I couldn't shoot. I had told them beforehand about my plans in Ghaziabad. I had offered to complete my shooting before the campaigning. They were not ready," he said.

He says the shoot isn't a small schedule, and requires around 15 days.

"I very clearly told them of my plans. I am not running away anywhere," Raj Babbar said.

"The least one expects is for my own fraternity (the film industry) to co-operate. I am not asking for shooting to be held up because of my election commitment. I am just asking for some scheduling adjustment. Is that too much to ask for," he asked.