'The Kerala Story' taking up RSS propaganda: Kerala CM

Press Trust of India

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday slammed the makers of 'The Kerala Story' film, saying they were taking up the Sangh Parivar propaganda of projecting the state as a centre of religious extremism by raising the issue of 'love jihad' -- a concept rejected by the courts, probe agencies and even the Union Home Ministry.

Vijayan said that the trailer of the Hindi film, at first glance, appears to be "deliberately produced" with the alleged aim of creating communal polarisation and spreading hate propaganda against the state. He said that despite the issue of 'love jihad' being rejected by probe agencies, courts and the MHA, it was being raised in connection with Kerala as the main premise of the film only to humiliate the state in front of the world.

The CM, in a statement, said that such propaganda films and the alienation of Muslims depicted in them should be viewed in the context of Sangh Parivar's efforts to gain political advantage in Kerala. He also accused the Sangh Parivar of trying to destroy the religious harmony in the state by "sowing the poisonous seeds of communalism". Vijayan alleged that since the Sangh Parivar's politics of division was not working in Kerala, as it did in other places, it was trying to spread it through a film based on "fake stories", unsupported by any fact or evidence.

"In the trailer of the movie, we see a hoax that 32,000 women in Kerala were converted and became members of the Islamic State. This bogus story is a product of the Sangh Parivar's lie factory," the CM contended in his statement. He said that freedom of expression cannot be a justification for using cinema to spread sectarianism in the state and create divisions.

"It is not a licence to spread lies and communalism and divide the people in the state," he added. Viayan urged Malayalis to reject such moves and be vigilant against the attempts to spread communal unrest in the society through false propaganda. He also warned of legal action against anti-social activities.

A couple of days ago, both the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and the opposition Congress hit out at the controversial upcoming movie 'The Kerala Story', saying freedom of expression was not a licence to spew venom in society, and the film was an attempt to destroy the communal harmony of the state. The Congress urged the government not to give permission to screen the controversial movie as it aimed to create "communal divisions in society through false claims".

The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M), had also lashed out against the film and said its trailer itself hurt religious sentiments and sought stern action against it. 'The Kerala Story', starring Adah Sharma, is set to be released in cinemas on May 5. The Kerala Story', written and directed by Sudipto Sen, is portrayed as "unearthing" the events behind "approximately 32,000 women" allegedly going missing in the southern state.

The film falsely claims they converted, got radicalised and were deployed in terror missions in India and the world. The film's writer-director Sudipto Sen's earlier movies are 'Aasma', 'Lucknow Times' and 'The Last Monk.' 'The Kerala Story' is backed by Sunshine Pictures Private Limited, founded by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who serves as the producer, creative director and co-writer on the film.