Blush after MLA dance

Ranchi, Sept. 26: A twinkle-toed JMM legislator has raised eyebrows in Bokaro and beyond, giving the BJP-JMM-Ajsu coalition a reason to blush.

The incident occurred on Friday evening, when Dumri MLA Jagannath Mahto matched steps and thumkas (hip movements) with bar dancers at a public event in Bokaro in honour of party founder Binod Bihari Mahto at Bokaro's Bhandardih. The MLA joined dancers from Asansol and Rourkela to a Bhojpuri number.

"I won't comment if it was wrong or right, but the act of JMM legislator wasn't dignified," state Assembly Speaker and BJP senior leader C.P. Singh told The Telegraph over phone from Delhi.

BJP state president Dineshanand Goswami said he was surprised. "This behaviour isn't expected from a person in the political field," he said.

But by and large, reaction to the dancing MLA is muted, keeping exigencies of a coalition government in mind.

Ajsu MLA from neighbouring Chandankyari, Umakant Rajak, side-stepped the query when asked if the act of his JMM counterpart was acceptable. "Why you want to put me in trouble? I don't want to be part of a controversy," he said.

JMM central organisation secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya claimed he didn't know.

"I will return to Ranchi tomorrow. Let me first ascertain facts before making statements," said Bhattacharya.

After the Friday night fever died down, the JMM leader, in the news earlier for evading arrest despite a court's non-bailable warrant against him in a murder case ' his car keys were also snatched by school students protesting against the fact that their cycles had not been distributed ' will probably keep his dancing shoes hidden for now.