Rakhi accused of molesting a godman

Limelight moth Rakhi Sawant has now taken off on godmen and other saffron-clad religious individuals. In the course of her sojourn on a reality show in Delhi Rakhi who likes to be friendly with people from every walk of life, spread some extra warmth and sunshine on a Delhi-based godman Swami Aravind.

Apparently embrassed by the actress' PDA, the Swami accused Rakhi of “molesting” her.

Livid and somewhat rightly so, Rakhi lashes out, “People call me a publicity seeker. But in my experience those around me are far more publicity-hungry than I am. What can I say about this person, except that I am now used to people earning their bread at my expense.”

Rakhi takes off on the whole cult of godmen. “I think many of these self-declared godmen misuse the saffron robe. Hiding behind that attire they harbour all kinds of evil intentions.

We actresses are often accused of being cheap publicity-seekers. But at least we don't make spread poison in the garb of religion.We don't make a fool of the public.We are what we are.”

Rakhi's co-contestant on the reality-show is Veena Malik who is being labelled the Rakhi Sawant of Pakistan. Apparently there is no love lost between the two during the show and constant friction between them.

Rakhi turns surprisingly diplomatic over the issue. “We are not friends.But we are cordial with each other. If she is known as the Rakhi Sawant of Pakistan I'm happy for her. It isn't a small matter to be whom I am.”

Oops, Rakhi does it again!

Rakhi Sawant has stirred the hornet’s nest again. Not long after she was in the dock for allegedly driving a young man to suicide after she called him impotent, the starlet, 32, has been accused of molesting a Delhi-based guru, Swami Arvind, giving him a panic attack that landed him in hospital. The two were part of a reality show on India TV — Bigg Toss — loosely based on Bigg Boss, which makes contestants stay together in a villa in Noida.

“I have left the show because Rakhi, whom I treated like my daughter, sat on my lap and made me do a close dance with her. I kept on saying, ‘for God’s sake, leave me, I am not here to do these cheap and obscene acts’, but she did not listen and humiliated me in front of so many viewers. I was shocked to see a woman molesting a man like this,” says the 48-year-old. The Shraddha channel show host was admitted to the Geeta Gupta Nursing Home in Shahdara last week after he suffered an angina attack and his blood pressure shot up.
Sawant, however, denies the allegations. “By accusing me of molesting him, he is only gaining mileage in my name. Rakhi Sawant ke saath naam juda toh popular ho jayega (If you get linked with me, you will get popular),” she says, adding, “He was not fit for the show. Main us dhongi-paakhandi baba ka asli chehra saamne laayi hun (I have ripped the mask off that fraudulent priest). Why did he not raise the issue while he was in the house?”
Some are sure that it’s just another publicity gimmick. “It’s a new show and it’s Rakhi Sawant, so it’s obviously all a tamasha,” says Nitesh Singh, 21, a viewer of the show. “Rakhi Sawant can go to any extent to gain attention. But if the priest is indeed in hospital, this is just not on,” says Bobby Darling, former Bigg Boss contestant.

Source:  Hindustan Times

Why Rakhi and Veena?

They wanted to be different, says Hemant Sharma, news editor of India TV, and that is why they came up with "Bigg Toss", which sees item girl Rakhi Sawant and Pakistani actress Veena Malik entertaining viewers by discussing cricketers in their unique style during the World Cup matches.

"Usually, during the World Cup matches, all the news channels organise discussions with four or five experts in the studio. This concept doesn't excite people anymore. We wanted to do something different so we zeroed in on this concept," Sharma told IANS.

"Bigg Toss", which went on air Feb 17, will be shown only when India is playing. It features 12 contestants divided into two groups who will choose their favourite player from the Indian team and bet on him. The group that scores the maximum points will be declared the winner of a Honda car.

Why Rakhi and Veena?
"Both of them can add a lot of drama to the show and people are interested in watching them on small screen," Sharma said.

Apart from Rakhi and Veena, the list of contestants includes cricketer Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj Singh, singers Shankar Sawhney and Ashok Masti, beautician Sylvie and RJ Simran, among others.