Stories
VHP slams Vivek Agnihotri over religion tax remark, demands apology
- •Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri sparked outrage by posting that taxing religion in India would force people to focus on innovation instead of miracles.
- •VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal strongly criticized Agnihotri for pitting Hindu pilgrimages against productivity and economic progress.
- •Bansal questioned Agnihotri's motives, pointing out that the film industry frequently seeks tax exemptions for movies while mocking religious sites.
- •The VHP reminded Agnihotri that the same religious and nationalist Hindu society is responsible for making his films successful.
- •Agnihotri later defended his statement on social media, questioning modern religious practices and referencing great Hindu philosophers like Swami Vivekananda.
Key Questions Answered
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri faced backlash and calls for an apology from the Vishva Hindu Parishad after posting a comment on X suggesting that if the government could tax religion, India would become rich as people would focus on innovation instead of waiting for miracles at pilgrimage sites like Kainchi Dham.
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal criticized Agnihotri for pitting religion against innovation and productivity, noting that pilgrimage sites are the soul of India and deeply tied to its civilization and local economies. He also questioned if the filmmaker's remarks were a stunt to promote a new project and pointed out that the film industry itself regularly asks for tax exemptions.
Vivek Agnihotri responded by telling devotees not to distribute knowledge about Hinduism and questioned what great philosophers or Swami Vivekananda would say today. He defended his stance by drawing a distinction against superstition, unscientific definitions, and crowds gathering solely to make reels.
