New Delhi: Kerala BJP president Rajiv Chandrasekhar on Thursday lashed out at the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan He objected to the talk of a sequel to “Kerala Story”, accusing him of hypocrisy and trying to distract from governance issues.Speaking to ANI, Chandrasekhar said the chief minister’s reaction is different now compared to previous incidents involving freedom of expression.“Pinarayi Vijayan has 45 days left as chief minister and he knows that on the 46th day, he will have to shift his residence. When a film against the BJP was released, we did not protest or say anything. He cited freedom of speech. Why does it suddenly become an issue when someone else makes a film against his political ideas? This is hypocritical. This is basically an attempt to divert the attention of the people of Kerala from his decade of failures,” he said.The Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party chief maintained that filmmakers have the right to create content and citizens have the right to choose what they watch.“I want to tell you, Pinarayi Vijayan, no one has appointed you as a protector. There is no need for you to behave like a protector of any community. Every Indian, every Malayalee today has been given the same basic rights. Stop fooling people. The film will be released because just like you have the right to watch the film, I also have the right to watch the film. Just like any director has the right to make a film, this director also has the right to make a film,” he added.Chandrasekhar also urged CM Vijayan not to create fear or threaten people with the release of the film.“If you have a problem with this, or if there’s something illegal in the movie, go to court. But don’t try to threaten others. Don’t try to use the chief minister’s position to create fear among people where we don’t allow it,” he said.Earlier in the day, Vijayan took strong exception to reports of a sequel to “Kerala Stories”. In a post on social media platform X, he alleged that the sequel is yet another attempt to spread communal discord in the state.“Reports of the release of the sequel to the hate-mongering film ‘Kerala Stories’ should be taken with the utmost seriousness. Having seen through the communal agenda and blatant lies of the first part, Kerala will once again defiantly reject this attempt to demonize our secular fabric. It is shocking that fabricated narratives aimed at fomenting communal discord are given a free pass, while critical expression in art is gagged. We must unite against these attempts to portray our harmonious land as a center of terror. The truth will always prevail,” Vijayan said.The makers recently released the trailer of ‘Kerala Stories 2’, which depicts the story of a Hindu woman trapped by a Muslim man in the name of love. The film is written by Amarnath Jha and Vipul Amrutlal Shah and directed by Kamakya Narayan Singh.The film is expected to be released in theaters on February 27.
