Reports in Mumbai that he has opted to campaign for his candidature in Ghaziabad instead of shooting for Boney and Sanjay Kapoor's Tevar has Raj Babbar flabbergasted and fuming in Ghaziabad.

Speaking exclusively in-between spasms of campaigning Rajji expressed genuine surprise at these reports. `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 electorate.I've been balancing out my film and political careers for 20 years. Has any producer ever complained?`

Raj Babbar says he had explicitly made it clear that he couldn't shoot with the Tevar team during the first phase of the election campaigning. `It wasn't as if I informed them as an after-thought 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.`

The actor-politician says he would accommodate the shooting after 10 April. `It isn't a small schedule. It requires 15-16 days. I very clearly told them of my plans.I am not running away anywhere.`

Sounding fatigued and pained Raj Babbar softly remarks, `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?`