Govinda is in D’s company

This was one pre-election thunderbolt no one had expected - the party's star MP from Mumbai North, Govind Arun Ahuja, on hugging terms with the who's who of the city's gangland ranging from don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar to lieutenant-turned-enemy Rajendra Nikhalje aka Chhota Rajan.

The video footage flashed by India TV, a private satellite channel, stunned viewers across the country. While Congress politicians in New Delhi and Mumbai shut themselves off from the media, the opposition BJP grabbed the opportunity to hit out at the party. The Shiv Sena will react to the disclosure on Thursday.

Govinda had caused an upset in the May 2004 general election by unseating BJP strongman Ram Naik. The actor had been handpicked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the task. In the video, a relaxed Govinda is seen mixing freely with almost the entire underworld wanted by the country and even international police agencies.

Whispers about Bollywood's underworld connections, with many actors dancing to the gangsters' tune at concerts abroad, are nothing new. Film financier Bharat Shah spent more than a year in jail fighting similar accusations. Several other Bollywood personalities have been at the receiving end of threats or bullets, with quite a few fatalities, including Gulshan Kumar and Mukesh Duggal.

The latest video was shot 14 to 18 years ago, when Dawood and Chhota Rajan were still bosom pals, and Govinda was a young, handsome, upcoming actor.

The meeting may have taken place around 1988-89, seeing Govinda's hairstyle in the video, a well-placed Bollywood source said. But the venue where the video was shot, the reason for so many gangsters coming together at one place, and Govinda joining them is a mystery.

The startling revelations are the kind of pre-election ammo that the opposition will love. The Congress is fighting crucial by-elections in Mumbai Northwest (Lok Sabha) where Priya Dutt, daughter of the late Sunil Dutt, is the party's candidate, and in Malwan in Sindhudurg (assembly), where Narayan Rane takes on his erstwhile party, the Sena.

Govinda has already made a reputation for himself of being a backbencher and a non-performing MP. The question now is, considering his past, what does the future hold for him?

UNI adds: Govinda late on Wednesday night termed the video as a 'conspiracy' to defame him.

Govinda, who represents the Mumbai North Parliamentary constituency, said that in 1989 the Central Bureau of Investigation, CID and Mumbai Police had conducted an inquiry into a photograph, taken at a party in Dubai, which was published in a newspaper featuring about 20 Bollywood actors.

The police had cleared all actors at that time after inquiry, he added.

Govinda alleged the old case was raked up by highlighting his name to malign him.

He charged that the act was being done at the behest of Samajwadi Party politician Amar Singh and Sharma, the head of the channel, which telecast the footage.

Govinda said he had supported actors such as Shakti Kapoor, Aman Varma and Salman Khan when ''these people'' (the channel) targeted them.

''I have been in politics for over one year and am close to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Besides, the love and affection showered by the people when my family met with a near-fatal road accident would not be tolerated by these people,'' he said.

The actor said he had suffered losses worth Rs 6 crore when his home production Sukh failed at the box office.
''I am planning a come back in movies because I am in financial trouble and the videotape is being timed to sabotage my comeback.

It is evident that one acquaintance is being shown as a friendship. I have not been to the Middle East for 17 years. How can we stop people from coming to us and getting themselves photographed at a party,'' he noted.

When asked whether he was planning legal action against the channel, he said, ''Just because of one or two persons I do not want to spoil my relations with the entire journalist fraternity.''