Designer goggles: SP distances itself from Big B protests

Lucknow, June 13 (UNI) The ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh today distanced itself from the raging protests against the reported notices to cine star Amitabh Bachchan by the Income Tax authorities over purchase of designer goggles.

SP general secretary Amar Singh said although his party was pained at the ''witch hunt,'' it did not want to politicise the issue. ''If I am the reason behind the notices, I stick my head out...issue me with notices, but spare him,'' he asserted.

On separate occasions, the SP leadership had maintained that Amitabh's proximity with Mulayam Singh Yadav was the reason behind the ''Congress-sponsored harassment.'' Mr Singh also criticised the violence at Allahabad yesterday when some youth tried to ranscask the IT office. Incidentally, Allahabad is Bachchan's ancestral town.

Wearing dark shades, ruling SP workers of the district unit had yesterday staged a demonstration here to protest the reported notice by IT authorities. Similar protests were also held in Allahabad and Kanpur by fans of Big B.

In the state capital, protestors wore dark glasses and burnt AICC president Sonia Gandhi in effigy. They alleged that the IT authorities were harassing Amitabh at the behest of the ruling UPA government at the Centre.

IT department had reportedly slapped a notice on the actor following news reports that he purchased designer shade from New York worth Rs 2.20 lakh.

On Sunday, the IT authorities had sought details from Amitabh on his bungalow 'Jalsa' situated in Juhu in suburban Mumbai.

The bungalow was recently transferred in the name of Jaya Bachchan, wife of the superstar and a Rajya Sabha member.

The recent IT notice is among a series of notices issued one after another to the 'matinee idol', some of them seeking details of his personal accesories, clothings amongother.

The latest notice seeks information on tax papers, stamp duty, cheque numbers and information on amount paid as penalty to transfer 'Jalsa' in the name of Mrs Bachchan, IT sources confided.

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