House panel for report on Aamir Khan ‘replacement’

A day after the government selected superstar Amitabh Bachchan as the new mascot of the government’s Incredible India campaign, replacing Aamir Khan, a parliamentary committee asked the tourism ministry to submit a report on the entire issue to it within 10 days.

Members were understood to have voiced their displeasure as tourism secretary V.K. Zutshi said that he will have to find out the facts when asked about details of the issue. The committee members asked him whether it is true that the government has decided to appoint Bachchan as the next brand ambassador in place of Khan.

Sources said that committee members wanted to know how much money the government spent on hiring Khan for the job so far and what will be the amount to be paid to Bachchan. When Mr Zutshi said that he will have to go through the files and find out the details, members expressed annoyance, wondering why such a senior government official had come to the panel unprepared, they said.

Sources said the meeting of the committee, headed by K.D. Singh of the Trinamul Congress, discussed a large number of issues related to tourism. During the two-hour meeting, the controversy surrounding Khan also came up for discussion.

Mr Singh also pulled up the secretary saying it is “not fair” on his part not to have the answers and asked him to submit a detailed reply in 10 days. The chairman has asked the secretary to come with specific answers. “The committee expressed its displeasure and asked the secretary to submit a report within 10 days,” said a member.