The NDA government has roped in megastar Amitabh Bachchan for a TV spot which seeks to ask Indians to rise above religion for inclusive development. Said to be the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is reported to have personally called Big B, the ad film comes amidst a raging row over the controversial Ghar Wapasi campaign launched by the ruling BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

According to a report the advertisement, expected to be out by the Republic Day, shows Bachchan flying a kite, talking about India's ethnic diversity and asking, "But does education have any caste? Does development have any religion? Does progress belong to any particular sect?" PM Modi and Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley are also expected to feature in the film.

Report also said PM Modi has asked Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to tour areas in the country with a high minority population. "It is true that there are misgivings among minority communities about this government. Their confidence has to be won. That will not happen sitting inside the office, it will only happen when you go to them in the field. That is why I have decided to go back to the field - not as a minister but as a political and social activist - to look at how schemes are being implemented on the ground," Naqvi said.