Dancers has met Sonia Gandhi
On 22 April , 2005 A group of bar girls from Mumbai met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, urging her to get the ban on dance bars lifted. The Maharashtra Government has refused to go back on its decision to close dance bars in the state but was open to rehabilitating dance girls.
Stepping further to wards bar dancers
As reported in Sept 29, 2005, for Rahul Gandhi, women's empowerment holds the key to development. The young MP plans to start a self-help group movement among the women of his constituency in the next couple of years.
Rahul does not want to stop. Using dncers in election campaign is his second step. The girls are no great dancers but they are doing legitimate work. In fact, these dances do not have half the vulgarity of dances like kanta laga that families see on television." Media person Jatin Gandhi adds, "The bars have bouncers and one cannot touch these girls. Depriving them of this livelihood would force them to sell their bodies for a pittance." Does Indian culture allow to see bellow the belt?
Rajniti Ki Pavitra Ganga?
A livelier solution seemed to have been found when folk artist Baleshwar, composer of many Sonia ditties, and his troupe took to the stage to keep the crowds regaled. Baleshwar has cut a disc - Sonia Gandhi, Rajniti Ki Pavitra Ganga. Because of these Baleshwars, Raj kapoor’s made film: Ram Teri Ganga Maili. In 1986, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi inaugurated the government's first environmental program, the Ganga Action Plan.
Is Dance a Cultural Event?
Chief Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh dubbed the performance as a “cultural event” and explained that party workers in their enthusiasm did a number of things for their leader. “Some take out rallies, some print posters. This is just an extension of that feeling. Workers are free to express themselves. This is not a crass show and should not be interpreted in the wrong way,” Mr Singh said.
At Maharajganj of Rebareli, “I have not come just to ask for your votes. This is an election that will decide certain basic issues and the direction the country’s politics will take,” Ms Gandhi said. Before this the stage was taken over by brightly dressed bar dance girls who gyrated for well over three hours to Hindi film and Punjabi pop numbers. Ms Gandhi arrived after 3 pm for a meeting scheduled for 12.30 pm
Degradation of political ethics
Bar dancers have the capacity to pull and keep intact the crowd before the arrival of a leader, with their whirlwind dances, to the tunes of some of the hit movie songs. Mohini, one of these dancers, said that it was thrilling for them to dance on the tages, where great leaders addressed the gathering.
“We charge huge money a election program, which has a duration of three hours. We bear make-up kits, costumes and sound system. After meeting all these expenses we share among us. Since people were not much interested to listen to the speeches of politicians, the parties had to entertain them by hiring dancers.” Sonia and Rahul Gandhi can speech in the roads but their speeches are not suitable for big gatherings. So bar dancers come like a boon for Congress.
Is this a clear indication of the degradation of political ethics in India?
By Premendra Agrawal