Vivek Agnihotri sparks ‘tax religion’ row, VHP seeks apology from Kashmir Files director

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has demanded that filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri retract his comments about a "tax religion" in the context of people visiting religious sites and issue an apology, considering the feelings of millions of devout Hindus. The controversy arose after Agnihotri shared a video clip on X showcasing a large crowd queuing up at Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand on October 4.

Accompanying the post, he remarked that if the government could tax religion, India would become the wealthiest nation immediately. Not because of the tax, but because people would abandon religion and concentrate on innovation, advancement, productivity, and ideas.

Reacting to the post, VHP's national spokesperson, Vinod Bansal, criticized Agnihotri for contrasting religion with innovation and productivity. He questioned why Agnihotri described pilgrimages as waiting for miracles and equated religion with a "religion tax," pointing out that the film industry benefits from tax exemptions. Bansal also suggested that the remarks might be part of a promotional strategy for a new film, asking if Agnihotri's stance was influenced by such considerations.

Bansal emphasized that the VHP, a deeply religious and nationalist Hindu society, played a crucial role in promoting and supporting Agnihotri's films. He questioned whether Agnihotri's comments were detrimental to the community's faith and urged the filmmaker to reconsider his statements. Bansal called for a retraction and apology, maintaining that such words could be harmful to the sentiments of millions of devout Hindus.