Union Shipping Minister Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday played down the controversy over the entry of his look-alike Balbir Singh Rajput inside the Parliament complex without valid papers.
"I was in some other place when it happened. But I would still say this is not a very serious issue. He had not entered Parliament, but only the complex," he said in Kolkata.
"But I certainly feel very sad for the securitymen (who were suspended following the incident) and am sorry that some heads had to roll."
The movie star-turned-politician said he knew Rajput. "He used to come to me, seek help for small roles. He has been imitating me for about 20 years, but this time the situation has turned serious."
Sinha, however, refused to admit Rajput as his look-alike. "He is a five-footer and also heavier. Besides, I never wear white shoes like Jitendra, which he did.
"Nobody saluted him... persons like Pranab Mukherjee, Arun Shourie or Shatrughan Sinha are known to everybody."
Sinha said Rajput was seen shaking hands with police officers posted outside Parliament, 'which is not expected of a minister'.
Earlier, in a bid to make light of the incident, the minister said, "Wherever I go, I am now being asked to prove that I am the original one.
"My wife, however, doesn't want to entertain the issue and has said if I looked like him, she would not have married me."
