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Maharashtra to cheerleaders: mind your dress

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Cheerleaders performing at a recent IPL Twenty20 match in Bangalore.

Mumbai/NEW DELHI: The Maharashtra government on Thursday said “strict action” would be taken if cheerleaders violated the norms of decency in their attire at the April 27 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers here.

“When foreign dancers are allowed to perform in India, the government gives them work permit and performance licence to the organisers with the condition that it should not be vulgar or obscene. If this condition is violated, the government would take action,” Minister of State for Home Siddharam Mehetre told PTI.

He, however, did not specify what action would be taken and against whom —whether the cheerleaders or organisers.

Earlier, the Minister described the cheerleaders and their dancing at the Indian Premier League matches as “absolutely obscene.”

“We live in India where womanhood is worshipped. How can anything obscene like this be allowed?

“These are things meant for foreigners and not for us. Mothers and daughters watch these matches on television. It does not look nice,” he said.

Nothing vulgar: Shah Rukh

Actor Shah Rukh Khan, however, did not find anything vulgar about cheerleaders. “What’s wrong with cheerleaders? I am also a family person, I do not see anything negative in it,” said the actor, who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Girija Vyas, chairperson of the National Commission For Women said: “I find nothing wrong with the [cheerleading] concept if it is just for adding entertainment element to the game. It has to be presented in the right manner keeping the Indian values intact.” She said: “I think we should promote our culture by bringing folk dancers and musicians in these matches. We have so much variety in our culture, dresses that after some point of time foreign countries will start imitating us.”

Height of vulgarity: Agnivesh

Social activist Swami Agnivesh rejected the cheerleading concept. “It is the height of vulgarity and it should be stopped. People in the age group of 10 to 70 come to see matches with their families. In a country like India, the public representation of obscenity will not be tolerated.”

Mockery of sport: Shatrughan

Describing the cheerleaders’ performance as an “indecent dance,” actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha said it was “difficult to find cricket in these matches” and it was making a mockery of the sport. “If you are so interested in deploying these cheergirls who dance after hits of fours and sixes, it is better to give a chance to bar girls who became unemployed after the Maharashtra government banned their dance in bars.”

Raising the issue in the Legislative Council, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said: “The show by the scantily clad girls was nothing but vulgar dance and they are worse than bar dancers.”

CPI leader D Raja said one could not expect “morality or ethics” in a commercialised IPL environment.

But Rajiv Shukla, vice-president, Board of Control for Cricket in India, said: “There is no harm if they [cheergirls] dance when a boundary or a six is hit since it is all entertainment.” — PTI

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