India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, reacted to the ongoing controversy over recently released movie The Kerala Story, and accused Congress of standing with terror apologists to save its vote bank by opposing the film.
Ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections on May 10, PM Modi addressed a rally in the Ballari district of poll-bound Karnataka.
"The Kerala Story film has exposed the terror conspiracy taking place in the beautiful state of Kerala. But look at the unfortunate situation in the country, where the Congress is seen standing with this trend of terrorism that destroys societies," Modi said. "Not just this, the Congress is also taking part in backdoor political negotiations with those who are linked to this trend of terrorism."
What is 'The Kerala Story' About?
The Kerala Story sparked a massive uproar after its trailer went viral, depicting over 32,000 Hindu and Christian women from Kerala who were reportedly converted to Islam and recruited into Daesh*.
The movie trailer suggests that the story was based on several true incidents and revolves around a Hindu girl, Shalini Unnikrishnan, played by actress Adah Sharma, who was brainwashed and lured into Islam by her Muslim friends.
After several cuts, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) granted the release of the movie under "A" certification (suitable for public viewing for 18+ years of age).
Indian political parties including the governing CPI(M) and Congress, along with people from Islamic communities, opposed the movie for allegedly promoting false propaganda and hate speech targeting the entire Muslim community and defaming the state.
Several petitions, filed in the Kerala High Court as well as the Supreme Court for to be banned, claimed that the statements used for the movie teaser would undermine the secular fabric of the state.
However, the courts rejected a stay order on the release of The Kerala Story on the grounds that it is a work of fiction, and after the producer of the movie, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, agreed to remove the teaser.
The police reportedly detained more than 50 persons in Coimbatore for staging a protest at the Brookefields Mall against the screening of the movie on Friday.
Amid the protests against the movie, a team of police has been deployed outside several malls in the city and tight security checks are taking place on all the visitors going to watch the film.
*Daesh, also known as IS/ISIS, is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and other countries.