India – Celebrities in Politics

Padmini Arhant

The celebrity and politicians worship ad nauseam in India is a boulder specifically stumbling block for the vast majority in desperate need of economic, political and social freedom.

The national and regional political parties compete with one another distributing tickets to celebrities from the entertainment industry to contest election. The tradition is maintained to deflect public attention from burgeoning issues that matter to electorate.

Celebrities remaining persistent liability given their unlawful activities beginning with tax evasion, embezelment, hoarding black money directly or indirectly forge alliance with not only politics but also underworld and unscrupulous secret society.

Celebrities are nothing more than pawns for political parties to serve personal and vested interests. These so-called star power  hop, skip and jump from one political party to another for survival. 

Entry in politics for celebrities is mere status symbol. As members of Parliament in the lower (Lok Sabha) or upper house (Rajya Sabha), their attendance and performance is dismal for they satisfy the political parties cosmetic requirement in the star struck campaign. 

Since politics is transformed into theater and stage play, politicians becoming actors and vice versa is common to misguide and misrepresent the nation. The celebrities choosing politics is also tied to generating and protecting their illicit wealth from income tax raid that are rarely conducted against them considering close connections between them and politics.

The celebrities debut and presence in politics are predominantly to benefit political factions in winning seats and letting those political parties run a muck.

In the absence of any individual track record in using personal wealth on public welfare, charity work or humanitarian service which could all be easily done by these film stars and the rest from the entertainment sector, political families as well as industrialists with political career in India, 

The celebrities receive preference over many loyal party workers slaving for unworthy political leaderships in  politics.

The parties public relations team are delegated to defend their leaders indefensible actions and lack luster trajectory on media.

The political parties waste no time in hiring these celebrities for cheap stunts and deploy women from within family and mainstream as representatives and spokespersons respectively to display politics’ lowest and tasteless physical form not barring exploitation of religion and religious accessories misused for false propaganda revealing politics’ true colors and those involved in self-degradation. 

Not to mention some women engaged in these theatrics falling for such gimmicks and fake publicity with no concern for self-dignity compromised in the bargain. 

These tactics and shenanigans abundantly confirm politics’ respect or the lack thereof for women in society.  In designating women from media, entertainment and public domain as talking heads to serve political parties fictitious agenda, the voters are routinely betrayed in the zero sum political game.

Women are tools to hype political parties image and in the other extreme highlighting egocentric male disorder to belittle womanhood in contracting female media socialites, soap opera actors from television industry to big screen charlatans for devious goals.

In general, anything and anyone from god, religion, cow, elephants, goat…to humans are not spared to win elections at all costs with ethics, morality, civility and decency taking a hike and having no relevance whatsoever in the formality termed as election.

Importantly, these celebrities do nothing during hay days for their fans, overwhelmingly ordinary citizens elevating these once nobody into somebody and upon their declining stardom shift to politics for limelight and immunity against crimes not limited to tax fraud and corruption alone but in fact extending to criminal indulgence.

Among these celebrities, some are proved to be a threat to citizens and environment in the hit and run manslaughter with no regrets or remorse letting their callousness surface despite the casualties being a three year old infant and the other a wage earner of a poor family.

The case in point are Bollywood actors Salman Khan known for notoriety and BJP MP Hema Malini. Not surprisingly the latter expected to represent the party again in the northern state Uttar Pradesh to further endanger lives with impunity. 

The power, fame and fortune starved celebrities in India apparently could never ever afford or contribute to build schools, health clinics, rural developnent, rescue natural disaster victims, children and women causes, people with disabilities and myriad social activities utilizing personal wealth made possible by the same ordinary folks who foolishly spend their daily wages and hard earned money to make these individuals filthy rich in their chosen occupation.

As entertainers they are getting paid at variable price tags facilitated by public money unlike unsung heroes dedicating own lives and personal assets as well as resources for greater good who are targeted for vicious political reasons and some humanitarians pursued to tarnish reputation. 

The public originating from poor, humble and middle class background should abandon idolizing members in society existing for the sole purpose to benefit self and those whom they align with mutual strategy on duplicity and mass deception. 

Indian voters in 2019 could set precedence in rejecting corrupt, criminal, communal, crony celebrity, dynasty and self-adulation politics turning the tide against those capitalizing on pseudo glamor and glitz rather than real substance.

I will be back soon with the promised presentation on incumbency failures and opposition debacles in Indian politics. 

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant 

Author & Presenter PadminiArhant.com

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