Reward announced for 'missing' MP Govinda

Jan 16, 2008 Jivraj Burman

Mumbai, Jan 17 (IANS) The political woes of Govinda, Congress MP from the Mumbai North constituency, continue. His political rivals have started to prick him publicly with pins of sarcasm.

A "wanted" notice has been put up at a street corner in Mumbai's western suburb of Malad declaring a reward of Rs. 5.10 million to anyone who can provide the whereabouts of the Bollywood star, reported 'missing' from his constituency ever since he became a MP.

Acting on the notice, a party rival even reported the matter to the Malad police station Tuesday and wrote to Police Commissioner D.N. Jadhav about the "missing MP".

Soon, the rumour spread that the star had either gone missing or was kidnapped when, in point of fact, he was shooting throughout the day in the same suburb.

When contacted, his family members dismissed the queries as a "stupid joke" spread by his political rivals.

Beneath the sarcasm, the message for Govinda Arun Ahuja is loud and clear: Would he ever deign to show himself up at his constituency? More important, would the party repeat him, his popularity notwithstanding, from this prestigious constituency once represented by stalwarts like Ram Naik, V.K. Krishna Menon and others?

It is not easy to maintain a balance between a professional career and a political career, especially, if one is not a professional politician and the Bollywood actor is a case in point.

For the actor, the situation has become tougher to handle, especially after the recent incident.

Although the star is known for his side splitting display of comic talent in reel life, it seems humour has gone out of his real life existence ever since he became a Congress MP.

It could be just a coincidence, but from the time he entered what his senior colleague in filmdom Amitabh Bachchan had once referred to as "the cesspool of politics" his movie career plummeted even as his affair with politics showed no signs of really taking off.

While most of his Bollywood associates called him a political turncoat, his new found colleagues in politics, particularly those from his own party, dismissed him as a political novice. Some even considered him as an intruder straying into their preserved territory to spoil their fun.

The badgered star belatedly got the hints from both sides. Finally, he chose his profession over politics, from which he started to distance himself slowly without making his retreat appear too obvious.

But the next Lok Sabha elections are still two years away for him to say good-bye to his political career. The constituents want results from him, and his political foes want him removed from the party.