Trivandrum:

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday condemned Dordarshan TV’s decision to air “Kerala Story” and asked the public broadcaster to stop airing the controversial film, saying it was only would “elevate communal tensions” ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

He also asked the state broadcaster not to become a “propaganda machine” for the BJP and RSS.

This decision is made by @DDNational The broadcasting of the polarizing film “Kerala Stories” is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine for the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that will only aggravate…

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) April 4, 2024

“@DDNational’s decision to air the polarizing film ‘Kerala Stories’ is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine for the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that will only exacerbate polarization ‘s movie.” Community tensions ahead of the election.

“Kerala will continue to stand firm against such malicious attempts to spread hatred,” Vijayan posted on X.

Doordarshan announced that the film will be released on April 5.

In a statement, the ruling CPI(M) also asked the public broadcaster to withdraw its decision to show the film.

The party asked it not to support the BJP’s “attempts to polarize” secular society in Kerala.

The CPI(M) state secretariat claimed that the BJP decided to screen the controversial film as the general elections were approaching in the hope of advancing its political agenda without the saffron party being able to make inroads into Kerala society.

“This amounts to a challenge to Kerala. There was a huge protest in Kerala when the film was released. The censor board itself has deleted 10 scenes from the film,” the CPI(M) said.

Public sector broadcasting services should not support the BJP’s “attempts to polarize” secular society in Kerala, the report said.

The Kerala High Court last year refused to stay the release of the film, saying its trailer did not contain anything offensive to any particular community.

The court said the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had examined the film and found it suitable for public screening.

The film’s trailer was heavily criticized and challenged for its “false” claim that 32,000 women from Kerala were converted, radicalized and deployed on terror missions in India and around the world.

The BJP claimed that there was an unofficial ban on the film in theaters in the state.

The film was released in 2023 amid strong protests from the CPI(M) and the Congress.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)