Patna, December 29: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav may scoff at the English language and computers. But he seems to be selective in his aversion to things western. On Sunday, Mulayam popularly known as Dharti Putra among supporters was seen lapping up the performances of sizzling belly dancers from Ukraine and Mumbai as they gyrated to Bollywood item numbers Sheila ki jawani and Munni badnam hui.
The show was part of the 15- day festival, held annually at the SP supremo’s native Saifai village. The Saifai Mahotsav used to be a star-studded affair, with a large number of Bollywood biggies such as Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt turning up for the festival when Amar Singh had not been expelled from the SP.
While its 2009 edition was a low- key affair owing to the death of SP vice-president Janeshwar Mishra, Mulayam’s nephew and Badaun MP Dharmendra Yadav had vowed to make this year’s rendition memorable. Following up on his pledge, he unleashed the hired dancers whose skimpy costumes and suggestive moves turned out to be a huge crowd-puller.
Even Mulayam appeared spellbound as he enjoyed the performances through the night. “Those who think there won’t be any glamour in this year’s festival are sadly mistaken. Many big filmstars and singers will shine in the 15- day programme,” he had said at the inauguration of the festival in Etawah district on Thursday.
The organisers claimed that Bollywood actresses Urmila Matondkar and Amisha Patel would present dance sequences, and singer Sonu Nigam would also perform. The SP considers the festival to be an important political platform and Ram Gopal Yadav – Mulayam’s cousin and a Rajya Sabha member – didn’t miss the opportunity to attack the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) while inaugurating it.”
While we all know that the BSP is a party of the corrupt, the revelations of the past weeks prove the Congress is also steeped in graft. The SP is, therefore, the best option for the people of UP,” he said. While reacting against Sunday’s performances, former SP leader Amar Singh said sarcastically: “I have yet to see the clippings to know whether it was a mujra or something else. But Mulayam is free to see what interests him.”
The former SP leader said he used to organise programmes of a high standard with reputed artistes. “Asha Bhonsle used to perform in those days. Member of Parliament Jaya Prada would present classical dances,” he said.
BJP state unit president Surya Pratap Shahi said: “It is unfortunate that Mulayam, the president of a political party and a former chief minister, is organising such vulgar programmes. It is shameful.”
However SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary rebutted: “The western artistes presented ballet dances in traditional costumes to hit Bollywood numbers. There was nothing objectionable in it.” The Saifai Mahotsav was started by local youths in 1997.
But in 1998, Mulayam decided to support it and his family members took charge of organising it on a large scale. On its part, the Congress seemed to be wary of committing any such “impropriety”.
As the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee geared up to celebrate the 125th year of the party’s foundation on December 28, state unit president Rita Bahuguna Joshi warned all its members to be very careful in selecting songs and chalking out cultural programmes.
She singled out Sheila ki jawani and Munni badnam hui , asking the organisers to ensure that these songs were not presented by the artistes. “Such songs are not only cheap, but also a sign of degeneration. They don’t have a healthy impact on society,” Joshi said.
-Agencies