Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Doordarshan to withdraw its decision to broadcast film ‘The Kerala Story’, alleging that it is RSS-BJP propaganda to create communal polarisation during Lok Sabha elections in the country.
“The decision by @DDNational to broadcast the film ‘Kerala Story’, which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections. Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred,” the CM said on social media platform ‘X’ on Thursday.
“Doordarshan should immediately rescind its decision to broadcast the film ‘The Kerala Story,’ a production crafted with the explicit purpose of fomenting hostility towards Kerala. The Central Government should desist from using the nation’s official news broadcasting platform to disparage Kerala, particularly in the context of the ongoing elections,” he also said in another statement.
Saying that Kerala is a land in which people from diverse religious backgrounds coexist harmoniously in the spirit of brotherhood, he said, “This film is a manifestation of the Sangh Parivar’s agenda to denigrate Kerala, a state distinguished on the global stage, and sow seeds of religious animosity.”
“Those who have previously disparaged Kerala by likening it to Somalia—a state that is a model for the country in eradicating extreme poverty and at the forefront of several indices, including those of the NITI Aayog—are now clandestinely endeavouring to propagate the fallacious narrative that Kerala is a hub of religious conversions. Widespread protests had already erupted against this film, which is based on lies and the hatred perpetuated by the Sangh Parivar,” he said.
“Doordarshan, the country’s official broadcaster, must not degrade into a puppet that dances to the communal agenda of the Sangh Parivar. Doordarshan is not an agency to undertake communal campaigns for BJP candidates,” he added.
“The notification that the film will be broadcast on April 5th is tantamount to insulting Kerala. Secular Kerala will stand united in resisting such subversive attempts aimed at fostering communal discord,” he said.
Meanwhile, opposition leader in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said the Congress party will approach the Election Commission to stop the telecast of the ‘Kerala Story’, alleging that it is a violation of the code of conduct during the election.
The Kerala Story is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. It stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The film claims that thousands of Hindu women from Kerala have been converted to Islam and recruited in the Islamic State (ISIS) as part of ‘Love Jihad.’
