New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the controversial film “The Kerala Story” in poll-bound Karnataka Friday and told a political rally that Congress endorsed the “particular kind of terrorism” depicted in it.
Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film released Friday, and is about a group of women in Kerala who are converted to Islam and made to join ISIS.
Modi told the Ballari crowd that one can hear the terrorism of “bombs and guns”, but the “terrorism to hollow out society from within has no sound” — an oblique reference to religious conversion.
#WATCH | 'The Kerala Story' film is based on a terror conspiracy. It shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists' design. Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank: PM… pic.twitter.com/qlUQlc3qQf
— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023
“A film made on such terrorism is ‘The Kerala Story’. It is in the news today. It is said ‘The Kerala Story’ takes place in this beautiful state of talented and hard-working people. It exposes this terrorism conspiracy. And to the country’s misfortune, the Congress stands with this terrorism mindset that destroys society. In fact, the Congress has made political deals with such terrorists through the back door. The people of Karnataka need to be very careful of the Congress.”
The Prime Minister also said the Congress – “for the sake of vote bank” – had surrendered itself before terror. “Terrorism is against humanity, and human values,” Modi told the rally.
In an all-out attack against the main Opposition party, Modi said the Congress has nurtured and given shelter to terror, and built a false narrative in order to win elections “on the basis of money power”.
“The Congress did not strengthen the tribal community, nor did it respect their culture. The party opposed it when the BJP made a tribal woman the country’s President,” Modi said.
He added the Congress went “politicking on the Sudan issue” — since many of those stranded were from Karnataka — “rather than help the government bring them back”. “Congress will have to pay the price this election, for playing politics at the time of crisis,” he said.
Modi also said the Congress’ manifesto was full of false promises while the BJP’s was a “sankalp patra” to make the state the number one in the country.
Read ThePrint’s review of ‘The Kerala Story’ here.
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