Uttar Pradesh makes 'The Kerala Story' tax-free in the state
By Vipin Vijayan | First Published May 9, 2023, 9:17 AM ISTThe decision comes a day after West Bengal decided to ban the film in the state citing law and order issues.
Days after Madhya Pradesh made 'The Kerala Story' tax-free, now Uttar Pradesh too has followed suit. The Yogi Adityanath government's decision comes a day after West Bengal decided to ban the film in the state citing law and order issues.
'The Kerala Story' उत्तर प्रदेश में टैक्स फ्री की जाएगी।
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath)The BJP has been rallying behind the filmmakers, stating that the controversial movie is projecting a truth that would seem uncomfortable to those resorting to appeasement politics.
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Reacting to West Bengal's decision to ban the film, Union Minister Anurag Thakur had said that it was beyond his understanding why the Trinamool Congress chief's sympathies were with terror organisations and not with the innocent girls from Kerala.
Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film depicts how women from Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the terror group Islamic State(IS). The film, which was released on May 5, has kicked up a political storm.
Producer Vipul Shah called 'The Kerala Story' a film on a "serious social subject".
A couple of days ago, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak had said that the state government will make the film tax-free if there was a proposal. "Everyone should see 'The Kerala Story'. I would appeal to all my sisters that they should watch (the film) and understand how atrocities are committed on sisters in a state," Pathak said.
In an election rally in Karnataka on May 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had credited the film for bringing out terror conspiracies and used it to attack the Congress. A day later, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that the film had been given tax-free status in the state.
UP BJP secretary Abhijat Mishra had on Saturday organised the screening of the controversial film for around 80 college girls in the city. The BJP leader booked a theatre and said the movie should be shown to young girls to prevent them from love jihad.
'Love jihad' is a term often used by right-wing activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage. Mishra said the movie is based on true events and shows how gullible girls are manipulated and then converted.
"The message which I want to convey to these girls, through this movie, is that they need to be aware and should not fall into any kind of traps, and focus on their studies," he had said.
"Must watch 'The Kerala Story' to save the lives of young girls. Parties supporting terrorists and love jihad and opposing The Kerala Story should be banned," he had tweeted in Hindi.
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