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Are we a mature demoracy?
When Rajat Sharma dug up an old scandal that embarrassed film star-turned-MP Govinda, forcing him to give over two hours of sound bytes, his obvious private agenda was TRP ratings. The clips showing Govinda hugging and shaking hands with Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel, Chhota Rajan, Noora and others was old hat, but it caught the eyeballs, and for three days - without buying software - India TV remained one of the most watched TV channels.
The surfers asked for Govinda's head. BJP leader Ram Naik, who Govinda defeated in the Parliamentary elections, gloated. Govinda went overboard talking about the threats and terror of the underworld, in an attempt to win public sympathy. And today, the Govinda exposure is, again, old hat. The real issue - of the unholy nexus - remains obscure, and the tainted film stars continue to strut their stuff.
Let's identify the dividing line between this underworld and that underworld.
Dawood Ibrahim and company of today are `absconding` - and even splintered due to their inner conflicts - operating from Pakistan, Dubai and Malaysia. Dawood has been declared a `Public Enemy`, wanted by Interpol. The laws are different, more stringent and people like film financer and diamond merchant Bharat Shah have spent long months in jail under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crimes Act (MCOCA) for their connections. They are the mafia .
That underworld - of the pre-1993 period - was a different ball game. Haji Mastaan, Yusuf Patel, Karim Lala and others were `smugglers` and gangsters. They were not mafia, though they were organized and they were on the way to becoming a mafia. Their tentacles had not spread across in the entire country, let alone Pakistan , Nepal , Malaysia and other countries.
I do not want to go into the family tree, like a detailed break-up of the various gangs over the years - this is done by the TV channels every time the underworld is in the news - but I wish to point out the social hypocrisy we refuse to notice.
Dilip Kumar was Haji Mastaan's identity card and entry ticket to the film industry. Both were childhood friends and Dilip Kumar introduced him to the industry. Kumar (Yusuf Khan) endorsed Haji Mastaan and Karim Lala in public meetings and even participated in Haji Mastaan's election campaign.
Yet, Dilip Kumar continues to remain among the most respected names in the film industry. He has served as the Sheriff of Mumbai and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
Sanjay Dutt was charged under TADA, for possession of banned AK-56 guns, cartridges and RDX and for his alleged connection with the Mumbai bomb blasts conspiracy. He was jailed for 18 months before being released on bail. 13 years after the blasts, with the verdict yet to come, Sanjay Dutt is a successful film star and earns crores for endorsing products that we buy. Equally ironically, the very fact that he will campaign for his sister Priya Dutt almost guarantees her success in the by-election she is contesting.
Salman Khan too has been accused of hobnobbing with the underworld and has criminal cases against him: killing the sacred black bucks, a protected species of wild animals and for killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol. But he continues to be a successful film star, charging nearly Rs 7 crores for a film and gets crores for endorsing products that we buy. Worse, he has even engaged an advertising agency to look after his image as a damage controlling exercise.
Fardeen Khan was arrested for possession of narcotics, and was bailed out. But he continues to be a poster boy on hoardings and is doing dozens of films.
I have chosen these names at random. There are many more. But my purpose is not to run a campaign against the `tainted` film stars. I only wish to point out the irony of the immediate impulsive demand of the public, `to severely punish` people like Govinda or to `arrest him` or to `institute an inquiry` or to `try him in court`, and then honouring him, electing him to Parliament (I'm sure he will be elected again, if he contested the elections again.) and putting him on a pedestal.
We have been called the largest, vibrant democracy - (also the `noisiest`). But can we call ourselves a mature democracy?
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