‘Some unscrupulous elements making politics look ugly’

BHOPAL - The wrong-doings of some “unscrupulous elements” make it look ugly, but politics is necessary for establishing the rule by majority in a democratic set-up, filmmaker-cum-politician Prakash Jha said.

Addressing officers of the all-India services (the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Forest Service) at the R.C.V.P. Noronha Academy of Administration and Management here, Jha said politics can, however, be “cleansed by creating awareness among people and entry of honest and dutiful people into the political arena”.

“A person resorts to corrupt means to achieve victory at any cost in a democratic system. The commercialisation of education has also brought about a change in the people’s mindset and most of the educated people harbour the ambition of earning more and more money,” Jha said.

He said that the people who amass huge amounts of money should help out the poor and downtrodden sections of society, noting it will benefit both the country and themselves.

While answering questions posed by the trainee officers, Jha said cinema is a powerful medium to give positive message as well as provide recreation to people. He informed them that the trials and travails of actors and actresses are not very different from the common man.

Jha, who had made the political thriller “Raajneeti”, has also tried his luck in politics on a few occasions. He contested the 2009 general elections from Bihar’s West Champaran constituency on the ticket of Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party but lost.

Jha, who has announced making of a film titled “Aarakshan” along with Amitabh Bachchan, would soon start its shooting in Bhopal. Several scenes of “Raajneeti” were also filmed in the city.