Exclusive: I'm not worthy of being the President of India, says Amitabh

Former SP leader Amar Singh has said PM Narendra Modi is planning to propose Amitabh's name for Prez.

Mumbai

: Former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Thursday spurred speculation when he revealed to a news channel that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to propose Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan's name for being the next President of India.

The current President, Pranab Mukerjee, assumed office in July 2012 for the five-year term.

Singh also mentioned that it was he who introduced the superstar to the PM, that eventually led to Bachchan becoming the ambassador for Gujarat tourism.

When contacted, Amitabh Bachchan said, \"I'm deeply humbled and touched by the thought. But I'm not worthy of such a distinguished post of responsibility. Besides no such offer or proposal has come my way yet.\"

He further added, \"I've constantly maintained politics is not my cup of tea. That's unlikely to change. There are many other ways of making oneself useful to the country and the society besides politics.\"

Having said that, Amitabh Bachchan has tried his hand at politics before. He contested for the 1984 Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket from Allahabad constituency and won. However, he resigned as an MP after three years.

Interestingly, earlier this month, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shatrughan Sinha was quoted saying, “It will be a matter of pride if Amitabh Bachchan, a cultural icon, is made President of the country.\"

Amitabh Bachchan has tried his hand at politics before. He contested for the 1984 Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket from Allahabad constituency and won. However, he resigned as an MP after three years.

Disha Naik, Student Amitabh Bachchan is a star and no doubt he has a mammoth fan following, but for the Presidency being famous doesn’t suffice. I don’t think he should join politics as of now and leave that job to his wife who is more experienced and has been in politics for some time now. He is doing some phenomenal work with this films and should just stick to it.

Arun Moras, Photographer John Abraham as our President would be a great choice, given that he’s socially and environmentally sensitive and he cares a lot about pets and animals in general. Now that’s a president I’d love to see. Humane, caring and mature. Someone who reasonably sorts out issues with a rational mind andcan be level headed. Since he’s fitness conscious, he’ll be a great motivator, an amazing mentor and an inspiration to many.

Sapan Verma, Stand-up comic If you ask me, I’d say Shah Rukh Khan would be a good option. He is a very balanced individual and he is also extremely well-read and knowledgeable seeing from the way he conducts himself in public. If it has to be a celebrity, even then it should be more than about just their Bollywood credentials. Shah Rukh looks like someone who understands politics and it’s workings. I think it might be pretty interesting to see a Bollywood celebrity as a President. I mean, why not

Cyrus Sahukar, Actor I think either Amitabh Bachchan or Aamir Khan would make for an ideal choice. But I was at an event with AB and he said that he finds it quite a joke that people are giving his name. I would choose Aamir because he is socially intelligent. There is much more to him than just being an actor. They are global citizens and would make for an active, serious President.

Akshay Tarfe, Student I think Nana Patekar is a better choice. He has done some fantastic work for farmers in drought prone areas through Naam Foundation. The experience gained from working for people on ground will definitely help Nana Patekar in taking better decisions during his tenure in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Many think that the President of India is a ceremonial post. But he is the commander-in-chief of our military and has a say in many decisions. Nana Patekar’s popularity as an accomplished actor should make him more appealing as a Presidential candidate.