When Amitabh Bachchan joined politics and why he left it so soon

Amitabh Bachchan once paused his peak acting career to enter politics in 1984, winning a Lok Sabha seat from his hometown Allahabad against veteran leader Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna. Political reporter Tavleen Singh states that Rajiv Gandhi urged the big star to contest elections after Indira Gandhi died. After his win, Amitabh told Tavleen that he was shocked by the country's severe poverty. However, he quit politics by 1987. Tavleen claims the exit stemmed from a fallout with the Gandhi family after they allegedly tried to pin the Bofors scandal bribe-taking on the Bachchans. The Bofors scandal involved Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors paying Rs 64 crore in alleged bribes to top Indian politicians for a contract to supply over 400 units of 155 mm FH-77B field howitzers to the Indian Army. Rajiv Gandhi and businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi were among those implicated. According to Tavleen, Rajiv did not defend Amitabh or stop the rumors because he worried about Sonia Gandhi's family and Quattrocchi. Swedish investigators cleared Amitabh's name over 20 years later in 2012, stating the allegations were planted by Indian investigators. Meanwhile, Amitabh's wife Jaya Bachchan remains a Rajya Sabha MP.