Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday came to the defence of film-maker and Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal on the national anthem row saying that the Sangh Parivar forces were out to malign him and communalise the issue.
Speaking to journalists here, Mr. Vijayan, who castigated the Sangh Parivar for its stand, said that its protests against the film-maker were aimed at fomenting communal intolerance. This was evident when they targeted Kamal as ‘anti- national’ and expanded his name to Kamaludeen to give a communal tag.
“Kamal does not need a certificate of patriotism from the Sangh Parivar. Such tactics will not work in Kerala. The government will take action against such propaganda,” the Chief Minister said.
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had recently taken out a protest march to the house of Kamal at Kodungalloor, Thrissur, following a controversy over the Supreme Court directive making national anthem mandatory before screening of films in cinema halls at the International Film Festival of Kerala in the State capital.
