New Delhi:
The relentless attack by the Congress against Amitabh Bachchan seems to get more shrill everyday. The Big B's decision to be Brand Ambassador for Gujarat Tourism, accuses the Congress, suggests that the superstar is allying himself with the state's chief minister, Narendra Modi.
An apparent man in a hurry, Modi is reportedly ensuring that Bachchan's campaign goes into production as soon as possible. Sources tell NDTV Modi has met with Piyush Pandey, who heads advertising firm Ogilvy and Mather (O&M), to finalize the dates and locations for the promos starring the Big B.
Modi reportedly wants the first few promos to show Bachchan at tourist spots like Dwarka, Kutch, and Mandvi Beach. One reason for the chief minister fast-tracking of the project: his state celebrates its golden jubilee in May.
Some might argue that Modi wants to plough ahead before the actor changes his mind. On Monday, the Congress dared Bachchan to take a stand on Modi's policies and Gujarat's communal riots of 2002. "I want to ask Amitabh Bachchan a direct question. He is the brand ambassador of Gujarat, I want to ask him does he condemn the role of Narendra Modi and Gujarat government in the pogrom of 2002... and if he does condemn it, then let us see whether he remains the brand ambassador... which I think he will condemn," said Manish Tewari, Congress spokesperson. (Read: Congress dares Bachchan to take stand on Modi)
Modi has been staunch in his defense of Bachchan, blogging on Monday morning, "A great artist with legendary humility and even taller achievements like Amitabh Bachchan who has chosen to celebrate the glorious heritage of Gujarat while facing a lot of criticisms." (Read: Modi calls critics 'Taliban of public life')
In an interview to NDTV last week, Bachchan said he can't understand why his position as Brand Ambassador for Gujarat tourism is assumed to have political undertones and implications. "I was approached to become the brand ambassador for just Tourism, nothing else. I was there because I wanted tax exemption for my film, Paa..and these decisions are taken by the head of the government... he (Modi) also mentioned 'why don't you bring some of your shootings to this state? I've got nothing to do with politics..." (Read & Watch: Bachchan to NDTV on Sea Link and other controversies)
In states where it's in power, the Congress has been publicly nasty in its treatment of Bachchan. (Read: Sea Link row: Congress humiliates Amitabh Bachchan) Last week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said he would not have attended a major public function in Mumbai had he known Bachchan was going to be there. Chavan also altered his schedule over the weekend to ensure he did not share the stage with the actor at a literary festival in Pune. On Saturday, Bachchan's son, Abhishek, was allegedly blacklisted at a government function in Delhi - his ad for Earth Day was not played out as scheduled. (Read: Congress leaves Abhishek in the dark?)
While the Congress harps repeatedly on the alliance with Modi as its reason for criticizing Bachchan, many argue that the real cause for the disquiet is Bachchan's uneasy equation with the Congress party's first family, the Gandhis, with whom he was once very close.
An apparent man in a hurry, Modi is reportedly ensuring that Bachchan's campaign goes into production as soon as possible. Sources tell NDTV Modi has met with Piyush Pandey, who heads advertising firm Ogilvy and Mather (O&M), to finalize the dates and locations for the promos starring the Big B.
Modi reportedly wants the first few promos to show Bachchan at tourist spots like Dwarka, Kutch, and Mandvi Beach. One reason for the chief minister fast-tracking of the project: his state celebrates its golden jubilee in May.
Some might argue that Modi wants to plough ahead before the actor changes his mind. On Monday, the Congress dared Bachchan to take a stand on Modi's policies and Gujarat's communal riots of 2002. "I want to ask Amitabh Bachchan a direct question. He is the brand ambassador of Gujarat, I want to ask him does he condemn the role of Narendra Modi and Gujarat government in the pogrom of 2002... and if he does condemn it, then let us see whether he remains the brand ambassador... which I think he will condemn," said Manish Tewari, Congress spokesperson. (Read: Congress dares Bachchan to take stand on Modi)
Modi has been staunch in his defense of Bachchan, blogging on Monday morning, "A great artist with legendary humility and even taller achievements like Amitabh Bachchan who has chosen to celebrate the glorious heritage of Gujarat while facing a lot of criticisms." (Read: Modi calls critics 'Taliban of public life')
In an interview to NDTV last week, Bachchan said he can't understand why his position as Brand Ambassador for Gujarat tourism is assumed to have political undertones and implications. "I was approached to become the brand ambassador for just Tourism, nothing else. I was there because I wanted tax exemption for my film, Paa..and these decisions are taken by the head of the government... he (Modi) also mentioned 'why don't you bring some of your shootings to this state? I've got nothing to do with politics..." (Read & Watch: Bachchan to NDTV on Sea Link and other controversies)
In states where it's in power, the Congress has been publicly nasty in its treatment of Bachchan. (Read: Sea Link row: Congress humiliates Amitabh Bachchan) Last week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said he would not have attended a major public function in Mumbai had he known Bachchan was going to be there. Chavan also altered his schedule over the weekend to ensure he did not share the stage with the actor at a literary festival in Pune. On Saturday, Bachchan's son, Abhishek, was allegedly blacklisted at a government function in Delhi - his ad for Earth Day was not played out as scheduled. (Read: Congress leaves Abhishek in the dark?)
While the Congress harps repeatedly on the alliance with Modi as its reason for criticizing Bachchan, many argue that the real cause for the disquiet is Bachchan's uneasy equation with the Congress party's first family, the Gandhis, with whom he was once very close.
