KOCHI: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday visited filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan at his residence and extended support to him. The visit comes in the wake of a BJP leader telling the filmmaker to go to the moon if he cannot tolerate others chanting ‘Jai Shriram’. BJP spokesman B Gopalakrishnan on Thursday said that though Adoor was a respected filmmaker, he had no right to insult the culture of the country.
Addressing media persons after visiting Adoor, the CM said, “The BJP leadership also comes out in support of such statements and this has been taking place in other parts of the country. I would like to remind them that this will not happen in this state.”
He also said, “Keralites in unison backed Adoor and this is the culture of this state. I want to remind the BJP about this.” Pinarayi also said that secular forces would continue to defend the state which always followed a different culture.
He said, “I just want to reassure Adoor that we are totally in support of him.”
Later in the day, Minister for Tourism and Cooperatives Kadakampally Surendran visited Adoor and extended support. He said that Gopalakrishnan’s statement against Adoor was a testimony to the depth to which the BJP had fallen in the state.
He said that through its statement, the BJP had made it clear that dissenting voices would not be allowed. He asked as to why the BJP state leadership was not curbing attempts to insult, threaten and assault a person like Adoor.
Kadakampally said that the state as a whole was with Adoor and would defy any move of the BJP.