NEW DELHI: After India's finance minister unleashed the sop opera in the run-up to the general elections, now comes the soap opera.

Not content with film actors and television stars joining the party, the king of one-liners, former cricketer and TV commentator Navojot Singh Siddhu, is the latest arsenal in the war-chest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is seeking another term at the Centre during the elections.

With BJP's ace strategist Pramod Mahajan, another one very good with one-liners, beside him, Siddhu today announced his decision to join politics and immediately let go of some bouncers.

''A true leader like Atal is one who turns weakness into strength and obstacles into opportunities,'' Siddhu quipped today when asked to describe the leadership of Prime Minister Atal B. Vajpayee.

According to United News of India (UNI), Siddhu went on to praise the ideology of the BJP and the leadership of Vajpayee as "Kushboo to hawa ke sath jati hai, lekin insani khusboo har disha mein jati hai (fragrance goes in the wind's direction but human fragrance spreads in all directions)."

Siddhu equated BJP as a party like a rock. ''BJP chattan ki taraah Atal hai," he mouthed, while expressing regard and respect towards the leadership of the BJP, UNI reports.

Siddhu is part of the cricket commentary team of Ten Sports that would go to Pakistan for the forthcoming Indo-Pak cricket series.

Meanwhile, small time TV and film actor Gajendra Chauhan --- his claim to fame is playing Yudhistir in Doordarshan's famous Mahabharata serial in the late 1980s and early 1990s --- too has decided to join the political fray and the BJP. Film star Suresh Oberoi has already announced his decision to join the BJP.

Not to be left behind, the Congress Party is also contemplating roping in some TV and film stars like Raza Murad and Govinda. The Delhi unit of the Congress has even suggested to the party leadership that it should consider cricket legend and occasional TV show host, Kapil Dev, as a potential candidate for a Lower House seat in the forthcoming elections.

In the coming days, there would be many more film and TV artistes who are likely to join some political parties.