SSB Awareness Series: A world where Diplomacy rules over honesty

As per the latest announcements from the tourism ministry, Actor Amitabh Bachchan, who is currently the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism, replaces Actor Aamir Khan as a new mascot of the government’s Incredible India campaign in a bid to attract more tourists using the former’s ‘non-controversial’ image. The news comes after the latter’s remarks regarding the rising intolerance in India.

The ministry’s reason for changing the face of its ‘Incredible India’ campaign does not augur well with many sections of the society.  The stated reason is that Aamir Khan was ousted because of the termination of a contract with a private agency, McCann Worldwide, through which he was roped in. As the ministry is in no mood of renewing the contracts, hence this called for the actor’s exit. After considering many names among Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan was finalized as the first choice. Also, it was cleared that he is hired directly by the government and not through any agency.

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Mr. Bachchan’s appointment as the brand ambassador is a clear indication that honesty can cost a person a lot and an artist can be made a hero or a villain based on the preferences of the political leaders. The present episode is also an example of the ruling political party playing favorites. The Khan surname does not go well with the ideology of the Sangh Parivaar and it highlights its bias towards people who can exuberate its Hindutva policy. The appointment of the people chosen by the government as the heads of academic institutions and cultural bodies in the past clearly showcases the bias of BJP towards such people. And this incident adds to that list.

The diplomatic demeanor of Amitabh Bachchan gels well with the politicians. Mr. Bachchan has always been avoiding controversies from the beginning and does not take a stand on any social issue.  He always comes up with excuses to avoid debates, one such incident being the beef issue where he took a diplomatic stand. This kind of attitude goes well with the government who wants people who do not antagonize any section of the society and thus, help in hiding the poor realities of life. It is no surprise that he has become a new mascot as he already had great terms with the BJP government based on the success of Gujarat Tourism. On the contrary, honest people like Aamir Khan are axed out because they don’t fear away from expressing their thoughts thinking about their image in the society. And this approach contradicted the present government’s ideology and led to the departure of Mr Khan from the campaign.

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It would have been better if in the spirit of tolerance, the government had renewed the contract of the agency with which Mr. Khan was associated, not giving too much importance to his personal remarks about rising intolerance that is plaguing the country.

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About the Author: Arshdeep Kaur is an Electronics and Communication Engineer who is working in one of the leading MNCs in Bangalore. Born and brought up in Delhi, she is exploring her interests in the areas of writing