'Big B to join politics, if Cong targets him'

Launching a scathing attack on Congress government, Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesman Amar Singh on Tuesday, said Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan would be compelled to actively participate in politics if the alleged harassment of his family members by Congress government at Centre continues.

“Congress has been harassing Bachchan family for a long time,”alleged Singh while addressing media in Mumbai after his party was not allowed to hold a rally at Shivaji Park in Central Mumbai.

Referring to protests staged by Congress activists against Uttar Pradesh government for felicitating Abhisek Bachan with its civilian honour, Yash Bharati award, Singh claimed that his party was not using Bachchan’s name for political purpose as done by Congress.

Congress led Central Government first sent income-tax notice to Bachchan, then raised the office of profit issue targeting his wife Jaya Bachchan (who is a Samajwadi Party MP) and now protests were being staged against their son.

“If the harassment continues there is a possibility that Bachchan would wage a war by returning to active politics,”he said.

Once a close friend of the Gandhi family, Bachchan had joined politics when late Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister. He had contested elections in 1984 and became Congress MP but quit politics after he was targeted by the opposition parties during the Bofors scam. Bachchan had then vowed never to join politics.

He soon fell out with the Gandhi family over certain issues and came closer to Mulayam Singh-Amar Singh duo. On several occasions, Bachchan has addressed rallies for Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

However, the party has been claiming that he was not getting into politics. This is for the first time, Amar Singh, a personal friend of Bachchan, has said that the latter may be forced to return to active politics.