A worker whitewashes a pillar at Connaught Place during a beautification drive for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. File picture

New Delhi, Sept. 3: He was mocked for saying the Commonwealth Games should be washed out to salvage India’s prestige.

But Mani Shankar Aiyar is being taken seriously on another game — of prostitutes and pimps at play ahead of the event.

The Congress leader, asked by the high command not to publicly attack the Games, appears to have spurred the government into tackling what he believes is the threat from the imminent boom in flesh trade ahead of and during the October 3-14 event.

On rain, he almost seems to be having his wish fulfilled: there has been no let-up in the downpour lashing Delhi.

Aiyar is being heard on the threat from casual sex too, though the government has been installing condom-vending machines for some time and the authorities do not think the nuisance is as big as is being made out by some.

Even so, Delhi police have activated their cyber-crime cells and asked patrol vans to keep an eye on suspects. And, if sources are to be believed, the heightened vigil has a lot to do with the perseverance of the Congress leader.

After verbal warnings, Aiyar wrote to Union tourism minister Kumari Selja expressing concern at reports that thousands of girls were being brought to Delhi from across the country with an eye on the Games’ visitors and players.

Selja was learnt to have shared the concern and wrote to Union home minister P. Chidambaram seeking immediate measures.

The Telegraph had reported in its August 13 edition about the boom in escort services ahead of the event, many of them plying their trade through the Internet and girls being rushed in to the national capital.

Sources in Delhi police said they had, indeed, received an “advisory” from the home ministry, which asked the force to keep a vigil on the activities of known pimps, traffickers and monitor movements of girls under suspicious circumstances.

Although the sources said it would be difficult to stop flesh trade completely, some action had been initiated against those misusing the Internet to peddle such illegal services.

Aiyar had pointed out what he saw as the contradictions in the approach to Games’ security. “Beggars are being removed from Delhi so foreigners do not return with a negative impression of India. What impression will they get when just outside the Games venues, pimps offer cheap desi maal?”