'The Kerala Story': BJP slams Mamata Banerjee for ban on movie in Bengal

The BJP on Monday slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for banning the movie “The Kerala Story”, which claims to depict the plight of women converted to Islam and recruited by Islamic State, and said her decision raises serious questions on civil liberties and freedom of expression.

BJPs I-T department head Amit Malviya said the decision is unfortunate as the movie gives a “real account of victims who have endured the horrors of demographic invasion and have been used as cannon fodder” for the terrorist organisation IS.

The threat has been recognised by not one but two former Kerala chief ministers V S Achuthanandan, a Communist leader, and Congress Oommen Chandy.

“Who is Mamata Banerjee trying to please with this ban? Does she think Muslims of Bengal relate more to the IS than the Indian Constitution? Shame on her regressive politics.

“There was no threat to law and order in Bengal because of the movie, which was being screened in over a dozen cinema halls in Kolkata alone. But now, with this dog whistle, one can expect the worse,” he said.

Several BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have spoken favourably of the movie.

Banerjee on Monday ordered an immediate ban on the screening of the controversial film The Kerala Story to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, a senior official said here.

Action will be taken against any theatre found showing the film, the official said.

Earlier in the day, Banerjee described The Kerala Story as a distorted movie, aimed at defaming the southern state.

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