CPM, Congress wings hold BBC film screening in Kerala, BJYM protests
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Days after the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry issued instructions to block the first episode of the BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’ on YouTube, the CPI(M) and Congress youth outfits The documentary was screened at several locations in Kerala on Tuesday. .
A screening at Poojapura in Thiruvananthapuram under the auspices of the CPI(M) youth wing DYFI ended in violence when BJP workers stormed the venue and clashed with policemen. Several BJP workers, including women, were injured after the police used force.
The CPI(M) student wing SFI took the documentary to campuses including universities. Wayanad in Plakkad, Kozhikode and Kalpeta while the BJP Yuva Morcha protested against the screening.
Earlier in the day, after youth organizations announced the screening, BJP state president K Surendran appealed to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking his intervention to stop the screening. But, the state leaderships of CPI(M) and Congress supported the screening.
CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said banning the documentary is against democracy. “Thoughts should not be banned in a democratic society. If ideas are banned, people will identify with the banned thought. There should be a mass resistance against the move to stop the screening of the documentary,” he said.
Senior Congress legislator and former opposition leader Ramesh Chinnathala said that banning the documentary is tantamount to violating freedom of expression.
BJP leader and Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muralitharan said the documentary should not be allowed to be screened in Kerala. “This is an anti-national move and the Chief Minister should intervene to stop the screening,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP received support from unexpected quarters on Tuesday, with Anil, a senior Congress leader and son of former Kerala chief minister AK Antony, saying that the British broadcaster’s views on Indian institutions had undermined the country’s sovereignty. will be damaged.
“Despite major differences with the BJP, I think those people (in India) like the BBC, a state-sponsored channel, which has a long history of (alleged India) bias, and the brains behind the Iraq war. Holders look at Jack Straw ideas (Indian). Institutions are setting a dangerous precedent, will undermine our sovereignty,” Anil tweeted.
