Kerala to screen BBC documentary on Modi, BJP protests

The BJP in Kerala has lodged a strong protest against the state government since many students' political organisation affiliated with the CPI(M) and the Congress announced that it would organise screening of the controversial BBC documentary in the state.

Thiruvananthapuram:The BBC documentary on Modi has triggered a political slugfest between the ruling BJP and the opposition. In Kerala, various political groups have announced that they would be screening the controversial BBC documentary, 'India: The Modi Question'. Meanwhile, the BJP has lodged their protest.

Kerala state president K Surendran filed a complaint with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanding that permission be not given to screening the documentary in the state. Surendran said that such an act would be tantamount to condoning "foreign moves to endanger the country's unity and integrity". It may also fuel "religious tensions," he warned.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan had the same demand. "Re-introduction of allegations rejected by the Supreme Court questions the credibility of the highest court of the country," he wrote in a Facebook post.

Earlier in the day CPI(M)'s youth wing, DYFI announced on its Facebook page that the BBC documentary would be shown in the state. Similar announcements were made by the SFI, a left-wing student organisation allied with CPI(M) and various wings of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), including the Youth Congress. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee's (KPCC) minority cell also said that the documentary would be screened in all district headquarters of the state on Republic Day.

The Centre last week directed blocking of multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the documentary. It has also been trashed by the Ministry of External Affairs as a "propaganda piece" that lacked objectivity and reflected a "colonial mindset". This move, however, invited received sharp criticism from opposition parties like the Congress and the TMC.