Angered over Income Tax authorities slapping a Rs four crore notice on ailing superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today said it was ''an inhuman act against a national icon.'' ''It was a blatantly inhuman act as Amitabh Bachchan was struggling with his life when the income tax notice came to him,'' Mr Yadav told a press conference.

The Chief Minister said he had raised the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram during his meeting with them here yesterday.

''Amitabh Bachchan is a national asset who has brought laurels to the country through his art. He is a widely revered person and such a rude treatment betrays petty-mindedness of those in power,'' he said.

He also condemned the last-minute withdrawal of invitation to Mr Bachchan, who was to be the chief guest at the just-concluded International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at Goa becuase of his perceived proximity to the Samajwadi Party.

''Mr Bachchan is not a member of the Samajwadi Party; it is his wife Jaya Bachchan who represents the party in the Rajya Sabha,'' he said.

Pointing out that national icons transcend political affiliations, he said the BJP had nominated Lata Mangeshkar to the Rajya Sabha. ''Does it mean she belongs to the BJP?'' he queried.

He also cited the instance of famous Hindi litterateur Mahadevi Verma who was nominated to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council because of her literary achievements and not because of any party affiliation.

Mr Yadav said the popularity of Amitabh Bachchan could be gauged from the fact that people all over the country prayed while he was waging a survival battle. ''Do they consider all of them as Samajwadi Party supporters?" he quipped.

Asked by a reporter whether the Congress was targeting the actor, previously associated with it, the Chief Minister said, ''The string of events are a pointer to the jealousy that the party nurses against the actor.'' He said the shabby treatment meted out to the superstar was against ''all norms of civility and cultural values of our country.''