Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma on Wednesday evening said actor Aamir Khan's contract as the brand ambassador for the government's Incredible India campaign has expired. Sharma's statement, reported by PTI, added to a day of confusion regarding the actor's involvement in the initiative. First, media reports claimed that Khan was fired from Incredible India. Hours later, the Tourism Ministry issued a statement stating that he had not been removed. The statement had clarified that the Bollywood actor was still a part of the campaign’s advertisements. Sharma's comments, however, again stated the opposite.
Rumours went viral on Wednesday morning after an Uttar Pradesh television channel reported that Khan had been dropped from the campaign. Business websites and national dailies were quick to follow. However, according to a report by The News Minute, the confusion came from a Right to Information query filed by a New Delhi activist.
According to the report, the activist had asked the Tourism Ministry whether Aamir Khan was still the ambassador for Incredible India, especially since his comments about rising intolerance in the country. The tourism ministry had reportedly not answered the questions directly, neither confirming nor denying the fact. This led to the confusion, the report concluded.
Khan was embroiled in a controversy after he said that his wife does not feel safe in India after a series of incidents of communal violence.
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