The reel neta

The minister of state for information and broadcasting, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, doesn't like the way he and the rest of his tribe looks in the ...

The minister of state for information and broadcasting, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, doesn8217;t like the way he and the rest of his tribe looks in the mirror it seems. His grouse is a straightforward one: politicians, he says, are portrayed as venal characters in Hindi films. He therefore feels it8217;s time to do some much needed cosmetic surgery on that familiar celluloid image of the neta, sporting Gandhi topi or saffron band, and reaching for that pile of banknotes under the table.

So disturbed is the minister over this that he has even threatened to review the Cinematograph Act so that filmmakers are suitably 8220;persuaded8221; to clean up their act and politicians acquire an image that is presumably more in keeping with their stature.

While Naqvi8217;s angst is understandable, it doesn8217;t stand the test of reality. If he were to take time from his ministerial duties and scrutinise the list of candidates standing for this time8217;s assembly elections in the Capital, it could come as something of an eye-opener for him. At least172 of some 820 candidates 8212; or a handsome 20 percent 8212; have criminal records. An estimated 18 of this lot can be termed as 8220;dreaded criminals8221; with serious charges, including murder, rape and extortion, against them. Every party, whether it is the BJP, the Congress, the SJP or the BSP, has fielded a sprinkling of such characters, despite having publicly stated their commitment to clean, criminal-free politics. And it8217;s not just Delhi.

Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which also went to the polls on Wednesday, have also witnessed a spate of prospective netas who don8217;t exactly come out smelling of roses. So what does Naqvi have to say to this? Having emerged from the cauldron of UP politics, he must be very familiar with the process that saw several figures of notoriety become 8220;respectable8221; ministers in Chief Minister Kalyan Singh8217;s jumbo cabinet. What does he have to say about that?

There is a certain colloquial expression that would be an apt response to Naqvi8217;s latest campaign: first deserve, thendesire. The fact is that the politician of today has become more than a politician he has become a broker, a middleman, a lobbyist, a facilitator and, yes, often enough a Romesh Sharma. He trades not just in votes but in licences; his constituency is more than a region on the map, it is an extraterritorial sphere of influence.

The squeaky clean politician of the Iamp;B minister8217;s imagination has become so rare, that he is in danger of being completely marginalised by the system. Therefore, instead of fulminating on how this worthy is to be portrayed in Hindi films, Naqvi would surely be better employed doing his mite to make the political system cleaner and more transparent. He should know that there are no shortcuts to a clean image. Even if Indian filmmakers do his bidding and portray their political leaders in an exemplary fashion, no one in an auditorium anywhere in the country would believe what they see.