‘The Kerala Story’ is RSS propaganda, says Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said that the upcoming film, The Kerala Story, was the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-led Sangh Parivar’s propaganda to project the state as a centre of religious extremism by raising the issue of “love jihad”.

“Love jihad” is a conspiracy theory peddled by Hindutva organisations that claim there is an organised plot by Muslim men to seduce Hindu women and convert them to Islam. It has been rejected by courts, investigative agencies and the Union home ministry.

Directed by Sudipto Sen, The Kerala Story claims that more than 32,000 women from Kerala had been converted to Islam and recruited by the terrorist group Islamic State. It will be released on May 5.

In a Facebook post, Vijayan said that the film, at first glance, appears to have been “deliberately produced” with an aim to create communal polarisation and hatred towards Kerala, reported The News Minute.

“Propaganda films and their otherisation of Muslims should be viewed in the context of various efforts made by the Sangh Parivar to gain an advantage in electoral politics in Kerala,” he added. “Their usual tactics do not work in Kerala, so they are trying to spread their politics of division through the film based on fake stories.”

Vijayan said that using cinema to create division and...

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