Click to play videoNew Delhi: Self-styled social reformer Agnivesh on Tuesday said his decision to take part in the fifth season of Bigg Boss arose out of his desire to bring in change in the society and counsel the warring contestants in the popular reality show.
"I have watched a couple of episodes of Bigg Boss and I find that though there is a lot of fighting among the inmates, it’s really not as bad as inside the so-called temples of democracy," Agnivesh told reporters.
Addressing the Bigg Boss 5 contestants as 'children' in his customary style, Agnivesh said the fights inside the house are not as bad as the ones in Parliament where members curse, throw chairs at each other and create ruckus.
When asked if the decision to enter the Bigg Boss house was because of the controversies in his past, Agnivesh said he has courted controversies all his life for his propensity to take up lost causes.
"Even way back in 1968, I found there was a severe disconnect between the government and those who elected it. There is religious dogmatism prevalent, no new things are happening in society and there is an urgent need for a change."
The contestants live on a ration inside the Bigg Boss house and there are occasional squabbles over weekly food allotment. How does he plan to tackle the problem?
"I am a vegetarian and I don’t even eat eggs. I will teach the youths the benefits of a strict vegetarian diet," Agnivesh said.
He will be the fifth male inmate to be part of the Bigg Boss house, which is dominated by female contestants such as Pooja Bedi, Juhi Parmar, Shonali Nagrajan and Mehak Chahal. Agnivesh will make an unlikely contestant on the show popular for cat-fights among the members.
The Indian celebrity version of the popular international show Big Brother has often created controversies for actions and words of its participants. While actor Dolly Bindra gained notoriety for her frequent bursts of temper, director Kamal R Khan threw a bottle at one of the contestants.
Bigg Boss is a reality show that requires contestants to stay cooped up in a house for three months without any contact with the outside world. The winner is chosen through a process of elimination every week.
Agnivesh said he would use this opportunity to promote and create awareness on social issues including corruption. "I do feel the show can provide me a platform to talk discuss and create awareness on several social issues like corruption, casteism, gender inequality, women development and others. I feel the urban youth of this country can make a difference..and they must be tapped. Hence I want to spread my message to them.. so I am on this show," Agnivesh said.
The saffron-clad activist was in the eye of a storm soon after Anna Hazare's hunger strike, when a video surfaced in which he was seen talking to an unidentified person asking him to deal strongly with the Gandhian. This led to his fall out with Team Anna.
"I feel they (contestants) must rise above all this gossip and fight...and I would try to bring all of them closer and make them aware about their responsibilities towards the nation. When I got this offer, I asked for feedback on whether I should participate in the show or not. Lot of them told, it is unfit for me. But I took it up as a challenge as I wanted to engage everyone on socially relevant issues," he said.
Agnivesh will on Tuesday enter the Lonavala house, where contestants are locked for three months and are under camera surveillance 24X7.
Agnivesh's decision to enter Bigg Boss comes at a time when he has been shunted out of social activist Anna Hazare's popular Lokpal movement.
Agnivesh has had a bitter fall-out with Hazare's core team after he accused RTI activist and close aide of Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, of siphoning off money from campaign funds. Agnivesh said a procedural lack of transparency creates confusion and doubt in people’s minds, a statement that did not go down well with the core members.
But the Bharayita Janata Party put its weight behind Kejriwal and accused Agnivesh of being a spy for the Congress. (With additional information from PTI)
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