Babus shake a leg with Amitabh Bachchan at KBC, earn frown from top boss

Raipur: Dancing is all about youthful spirit and expression of self, isn’t it? Not if you are a top babu in Chhattisgarh. Two top officials of the state have found out to their discomfiture a few days ago. A jig with actor Amitabh Bachchan has landed them in a mess, earned them the displeasure of the top babu of them all, the chief secretary, to be more precise.

The officials, additional chief secretary MK Raut and officer on special duty with the chief minister Vijay Sisodia, couldn’t resist the temptation to shake a leg on the sets of popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati. They, according to reports, were joined by their wives too. The show, to be aired on 12 October, was being recorded at an indoor stadium in Raipur.

Days after the incident, the two officers have found themselves out of step with the state’s chief secretary, Vivek Dhand. Both have been served a reprimand notice for not maintaining decorum as officers. They have been warned against such indiscretion in future. After initial protestations, both of them have gone on the silent mode now, being inaccessible to the media.

The problem, however, as it appears now, is not the act of babus trying out their dance moves. It is about the prime passes they managed to corner which gave them the best of seats which, in turn, allowed them to beat others to the stage. There was a huge demand for entry passes with only a few available. The organizers distributed passes in thousands yet many, including some powerful babus, were left out. In the end, there were too many sulking and grumbling souls around.

Raut and Sisodia managed vantage front seats with their spouses, pushing some politicians to third and fourth rows. When they decided to display their dancing talent, they were lustily applauded by the audience. However, not many appreciated the act. Soon, complaints reached the top and resulted in the notice.

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The show, quick on the heels of CLT20 cricket matches in Raipur, was a big draw. The local media had reported that Chief Minister Raman Singh would be on the hot seat on the show. The news did not invite a quick denial and helped creating hype. Incidentally, Singh had taken a lot interest in the programme and Bachchan’s first halt in Raipur was his residence.

This is the latest controversy to be associated with the staging of the show in a stadium that the local body in Raipur owns. The Mayor did not attend the function as according to her she “didn’t receive the invitation." She was quick to get the stadium gates locked the next morning of the show when it was discovered the organizers had not cleared the dues. A local senior police officer was offended when his family members were not accorded the type of reception at the gates they are accustomed to. After the show, the four bouncers who were manning the gate were picked up by the police and thrashed black and blue.

The show hogged the limelight for the later half of September - the first half was overshadowed by cricket matches. The opposition Congress says it effectively killed the news of farmers in the state. The state government had come out with a policy of buying paddy only from those farmers who get themselves registered according to the official proforma before the end of September. The proforma listed many mandatory information like election ID number, mobile number etc. Lakhs of farmers have thus been disqualified to sell paddy to the government.

Meanwhile, the babus are nursing their bruised reputation.