New Delhi: Congress and Raj Thackeray`s
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena(MNS) have turned out to be strange bedfellows in making Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as their common target.
The reasons, however, are different.
The Congress has gone hammer and tongs against Bachchan for becoming brand ambassador of Narendra Modi-ruled Gujarat.
Raj, chief of MNS, has trained his guns on Bachchan
while targetting his estranged uncle`s party--Shiv Sena--
over its campaign against Shah Rukh Khan in connection with
his comments lamenting the exclusion of Pakistani cricket
players from IPL.
Raj wondered why Bachchan was not targeted by Shiv Sena
for sharing dais with an actor from the neighbouring country
while it attacked Shah Rukh for speaking in favour of
Pakistani players.
"Recently, Amitabh Bachchan shared dais with Pakistani
actor Zia Mohyeddin in a media-sponsored programme. But the
issue was not raised like that of Shah Rukh Khan," Raj has
termed Bachchan`s behaviour as his "duplicity".
Bachchan is part of a peace initiative `Aman ki Asha`
aimed at promoting good ties with the neighbouring country.
He
has faced criticism in the past from MNS which accused him of
ignoring Maharashtra where he earned name and fame.
Congress General Secretary B K Hariprasad has slammed
Bachchan for becoming the brand ambassador of Gujarat,
accusing the actor of misusing his celebrity status for money.
Hariprasad, who is in-charge of party affairs for
Gujarat, also made some sarcastic references to the star.
Recalling that Bachchan had earlier been brand
ambassador for Uttar Pradesh which had "brought electoral
disaster" for the then ruling Samajwadi Party there,
Hariprasad sarcastically said it could be Modi`s turn now.
-PTI
