Cong's Adhir Chowdhury explains why 'The Kerala Story' is tax free in UP, MP
The bench said it was the duty of the state government to maintain law and order as the film has already been granted certification by the CBFC.
Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Thursday Sudipto Sen's controversial movie 'The Kerala Story' had been tax-free in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh because those states are governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party as part of an agenda of 'divisive politics'. "'The Kerala Story' is tax-free in MP and UP because those states are governed by BJP. They won't show films related to revolutionary personalities of India. They will only showcase 'The Kerala Story' and 'The Kashmir Files' free of cost because then they will be able to do divisive politics," the Congress leader said.
Chowdhury's comments came shortly after the Supreme Court stayed the Bengal government's ban on the public screening of 'The Kerala Story', ruling the order passed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee's government was not based on any material produced before the top court.
A bench led by chief justice DY Chandrachud also said it was the duty of the elected state government to maintain law and order as the film has been cleared by the censor board.
Reacting to the court's order, Bengal's women and social welfare minister Shashi Panja said, "Supreme Court has given its observation. Following this, what action CM will take is something which she will say... but her intent was that no community be hurt and, in case any community feels hurt and reacts, if there is any law and order situation disturbance - for this she took the call."
The BJP's Amit Malviya - who ripped into Mamata Banerjee after she announced the ban, accusing her of 'stand(ing) with radical elements and not with our daughters - welcomed the Supreme Court verdict. "It is now incumbent on Mamata Banerjee, as home minister of Bengal, to ensure the movie is screened without any disruption. Her constant dog-whistles, like this one, (are) steeped in appeasement politics, and on several occasions, have undermined free speech in Bengal."
Mamata Banerjee had said: "West Bengal government has decided to ban the movie 'The Kerala Story'. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state… What is 'The Kashmir Files'? It was to humiliate one section. What is 'The Kerala Story'?... It is distorted."
'The Kerala Story' - which claims to depict the 'forced recruitment and conversion of young girls and women by the Islamic State' - triggered a furious political row even before it was released; the movie's trailer claimed 32,000 girls from Kerala went missing, were radicalised and joined the terror group.
