PR agency managed Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's media engagement during LS polls too: Report

It has been revealed that a PR agency was involved in arranging interviews for Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the Lok Sabha elections too. Journalists were asked to submit questions in advance, though they stated that follow-up questions might arise during the interview.

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is under scrutiny for the media interventions carried out by a PR agency in light of the concerns raised by MLA P V Anvar.Now, it has come to light that a public relations agency (PR) interfered with the Chief Minister's interview during the Lok Sabha elections as well. Some journalists were invited to Kerala, where they were asked to submit their questions in advance. 

This time as well, questions were requested beforehand. Journalists stated that while they could provide the questions, there might be instances during the interview where they would need to ask additional questions as the conversation progressed.

This time, the public relations agency attempted to arrange interviews with The Hindu, Hindustan Times, and Economic Times. They invited journalists from these publications to discuss the questions that would be asked. However, the Chief Minister gave an interview to The Hindu, which has led to controversy.

There is growing dissatisfaction among the constituent parties of the Left Front due to the Chief Minister's silence on the PR agency controversy. The explanation given by The Hindu, which stated that the controversial remarks related to Malappuram were included as per the PR agency's directive, has not been denied even two days after its release, raising further doubts. However, both the Chief Minister and his office have remained silent on the matter. The CPI executive committee meeting scheduled for today will also discuss the PR agency controversy, while the CPM Secretariat is holding its own meeting today as well.

Meanwhile, Kaizzen, the Delhi-based PR agency, confirmed its involvement in preparing the Chief Minister's interview. Nikhil Pavithran, president of the Kaizzen Group, stated to Asianet News that the agency's political wing facilitated the interview. He also explained that he was not present during the interview itself.

The remarks in the interview about rising hawala transactions and gold smuggling in Malappuram, allegedly linked to anti-national activities, have sparked controversy. The Chief Minister’s press secretary issued a letter to 'The Hindu', claiming the newspaper made an error. In response, the newspaper acknowledged the mistake and clarified that the PR agency, acting on behalf of the Chief Minister, raised the issues. The Chief Minister's office later flagged these claims as 'incorrect.' This development has put the Chief Minister on the defensive.