Vivek Agnihotri slams Rahul Gandhi, labels caste census idea as 'sinister political gambit'

New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS) Film director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, currently quite busy with his upcoming film 'The Delhi Files', has slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's continuous pitch for caste census, calling it a "sinister political gambit" and the "most dangerous political strategy".

Agnihotri said he had watched the Leader of Opposition's recent remarks made during a Parliament debate and there seems to be a "big problem" with his entire idea of conducting a caste census in the country.

"If the concern for castes were genuine, I could accept it, but this is done solely to divide the Hindu vote and gain power. At the centre of this sinister campaign is nothing but PM Narendra Modi and not the castes. This (demand) is Modi-centric, not caste-centric. That's why it's not genuine, it's sinister," Agnihotri said in a video posted on X.

Known for directing films like 'The Kashmir Files', 'The Tashkent Files' and 'The Vaccine War', he then went on to list reasons for opposing Gandhi's move.

"There is no brand fit between Rahul Gandhi and caste issues, it's all fake and aimed at grabbing power. Rahul Gandhi is a caste and class elite and he is using caste polarisation only as a short-term political tool and not as empathy for the castes," he stated.

The entire caste census campaign, he added, will create anarchy, chaos, and conflict, further dividing society and making it unlivable.

"This is exactly what Urban Naxals want," mentioned Agnihotri.

The film director also remarked that Rahul Gandhi's caste census campaign is "reminiscent of VP Singh's dangerous Mandal Commission campaign" which "permanently damaged society" on the caste front.

Agnihotri detailed that while researching India's Partition and fragmentation for the last five years for his upcoming movie, he has learnt a lot about communal politics.

"When Jinnah couldn't challenge Gandhi and Nehru's popularity, he played the religion card, and India got divided. The rest is history. Rahul Gandhi is repeating what Jinnah and VP Singh did. It's the easiest trick in politics," he said.