Congress attacks BJP over Amitabh Bachchan as choice of host to mark Modi celebrations

The two leading political parties of India are at loggerheads over an event Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is expected to host on Saturday.

The ruling Bharitya Janta Party (BJP) has organized a five-hour long show to celebrate two-years of the Modi government. The show that will be aired on the state-owned channel Doordarshan is to be hosted by Amitabh Bachcahan, the NDTV reported.

Opposition party Congress has decried the decision saying that Amitabh Bachchan has been named in the controversial Panama Papers.

"We want to question Modiji...he promised to bring back black money, promised to punish each person who was involved. Would it not send a wrong message to all investigative agencies when a person accused of money laundering is seen hosting a program to celebrate two years of the Modi government?" asked the Congress' Randeep Surjewala, NDTV reported.

"He has denied charges and he may be proved innocent, but what message is the PM sending?" Surjewala added.

To this the BJP remarked that Big B was more popular than Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. "Big B is a superstar, people love him. The people of India love Big B more than Rahul Gandhi. The Congress does not need show its jealousy," Shahnawaz Hussain from BJP said.

Amitabh Bachchan was named in the Panama Papers -a massive leak of tax documents on offshore companies of the rich and powerful. He denied knowledge of an offshore company in his named and said that his name may have been misused.

Speaking to Times of India, Amitabh Bachchan said that he was only hosting a small segment of the show, “Beti Bachao, Beti Parhao” an education campaign for which he is brand ambassador.