Sonia has no role in hounding Big B: Amar

Expelled SP leader Amar Singh, who has been sending friendly signals to Congress leadership, on Thursday defended Sonia Gandhi in the row involving Amitabh Bachchan, saying he did not see her hand in "hounding" of the actor.

"Personally I have full faith in Sonia Gandhi and Rahul and I believe that this can never be done by them...," Singh wrote in his blog on the controversy over Congress leaders objecting to Bachchan's presence at a government function.

The BJP had alleged that Bachchan was being targeted because of the strained ties with the Gandhi family.

The MP claimed that the entire controversy involving Bachchan could be "a well-planned campaign" aimed at instigating Singh to make an anti-Congress statement.

He further wrote, "I have interacted on several occasions with the Congress top leadership due to political reasons and in their personality I could not see the mentality of hounding a person".

Citing Priyanka Gandhi's compassionate attitude towards Nalini, a convict in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, he said, "Their hearts cannot be so cruel."

"Leave aside Bachchan, they cannot be cruel even towards his late parents and this has been proven by the fact that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was given Padmashri and Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the best actor's National Award during the UPA regime."

Expressing his surprise over BJP's sudden love for Amitabh Bachchan, Singh said, "Any artiste's respect or disrespect should be static and it should not be governed by selfish reasons out of situational politics whether it is by this party or that party."

However, Singh defended Bachchan's decision to become Gujarat's brand ambassador. "There is a whole lot of difference between Gujarat Tourism and Narendra Modi's communal politics."

Giving instances of Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan's "cinematic dalliance" with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said, "Khan is also close to anti-BJP groups and even Salman Khan campaigned for BJP candidate Vinod Khanna and for Congress candidate Anu Tandon during last year's general elections".

Singh said he analysed the letter written by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Amitabh Bachchan during the latter's illness.
On the controversy over Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan and Narendra Modi sharing the dais, he said, "Like Modi, I am also a member of the National Integration Council and I shudder to think as to what will happen to me if in the next meeting he is found sitting next to me."

Singh further said that Modi "should be left to Supreme Court" while the Bachchan family should be left with their films and "all of us should focus on important issues like demand of smaller states for development purpose, education, and Women's Reservation Bill."

Following his expulsion from Samajwadi Party in February, Singh has been praising Sonia Gandhi and even expressed regret for statements made in the past against her.