Vivek Agnihotri calls I.N.D.I.A bloc ‘jokers’, says better to ‘throw vote in dustbin’ than cast to alliance

'I.N.D.I.A bloc is a bunch of jokers who have come together to do a circus. So I'm going to enjoy it like a circus. But a circus is never permanent,' Vivek Agnihotri told DH.

The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri is not the one to shy away from controversies. In his conversation with DH on the sidelines of his upcoming movie The Vaccine War, Agnihotri got candid about his political ideologies. 

On being asked what he thought of the newly-formed alliance I.N.D.I.A, Agnihotri called them a “bunch of jokers” who were part of a circus that he was going to enjoy while it lasts.

“I.N.D.I.A bloc is a bunch of jokers who have come together to do a circus. So I'm going to enjoy it like a circus. But a circus is never permanent."

Taking a jibe at the motive behind the formation of the alliance, Agnihotri said, “Any relationship which is caused out of temporary greed cannot last. All these people oppose each other in every state. Congress is against TMC, they are against DMK and somewhere they are against another party. In UP they are against Akhilesh Yadav. In Bihar they are against Nitish. Only because the enemy or Mr Modi or whatever, is so powerful they have come together thinking that okay, we will just somehow fight it. This is not lasting even now, forget about winning elections.”

Read the full interview here

With respect to the recent boycott of 14 journalists by the Opposition bloc, the filmmaker pointed out that what initially started as a boycott had to soon be called a non-cooperation. 

“All of them issued a resolution boycotting some journalists. Now, Nitish said no, 'I have nothing to do with it'. Akhilesh said 'why should I suffer because of Congress?' We will go to all the journalists. Now Congress has been forced to take it back saying, it's not a boycott. It's a non-cooperation.”

When asked if the entry of I.N.D.I.A would change the dynamics of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said “Every circus ends after a couple of months. This circus will also end in a few months.”

Agnihotri went on to say that all those who were planning to cast their vote for the alliance should rather throw their votes in the dustbin instead and “Let the dustbin win but not this alliance.”

On the work front, Vivek Agnihotri’s directorial The Vaccine War starring Pallavi Joshi, Nana Patekar and Anupam Kher is set to release on the big screen on September 28.