The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi organised a screening of the banned BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question, dubbed in Tamil, at Ambedkar Thidal, the party’s headquarters in Chennai on Sunday evening. The documentary is about the Gujarat violence in 2002.
VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan, Villupuram MP, D. Ravi Kumar, and other party leaders were present at the screening.
While the CPI-M and Congress had organised such screenings across Kerala, in Tamil Nadu the screening of the film by Left activists was prevented on some campuses, prompting CPI-M State secretary, K. Balakrishnan, to release a statement urging the State Government to protect basic rights of individuals.
Speaking at the screening, Mr. Thirumavalavan claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rise to the top from Gujarat, was paved with violence and spreading hate against minorities. “The two-part BBC documentary shows that he didn’t reach the top by pursuing ideological politics or fighting for the interests and welfare of the poor and working classes of India. He has grown by planting hate and letting loose violence and claiming that only he has the capacity to do these things. That’s how he grew from being a state leader to a national leader. His growth strengthens politics of Sanatana,” charged Mr. Thirumavalavan.
According to him, the question before the nation is what would happen if Mr. Modi became the Prime Minister one more time in 2024: he said that very few organisations and political parties such as the VCK and Dravidar Kazhagam were opposing the politics of BJP. “Many are critical of Periyarism, Dravidar Kazhagam and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam when they should be initiating a debate about Modi’s politics. This is a concern. We are not saying that one should not be critical of Periyar or DK or DMK. But, the biggest challenge before us is Modi’s politics of hate. How are we going to overcome it?” he asked.
Dravidar Kazhagam vice president Kali Poonkundran and filmmaker Vetrimaaran were also present on the occasion.
