KOZHIKODE: Reacting strongly to the controversial dance presented during the inaugural ceremony of the 61st Kerala School Arts Festival, Minister for Public Works and Tourism P A Mohamed Riyas demanded a probe into the Sangh Parivar connection to the event.
Presentation of a person in Muslim dress as terrorist in the event had kicked off a controversy, with many Muslim organisations alleging that it reflected Islamophobia and painted the Muslim community in a bad light.
“The act cannot be justified in any manner. A section in the country is deliberately trying to portray a particular religion as terrorists. This should not be encouraged at any cost,” the Minister said. Riyas added that the Sangh Parivar connection of the person who composed the dance needs to be inquired into. Everything including whether there was an attempt to create an atmosphere of revolt at the festival should also be investigated, he said.
Meanwhile programme committee convener Thottathil Raveendran, MLA, said the actor playing the role of the terrorist was not dressed as a Muslim when he watched the rehearsal. “All the actors were wearing normal dress during rehearsals. Moreover, we were concentrating on the song that accompanied the dance,” he said.
BJP came out strongly against the demand for a probe saying that certain people are trying to capitalise on the event and polarise the community. K Surendran, state president of BJP, said that no one who saw the event could see any problem. “It was the Education Department that organised the festival and Riyas was controlling everything. He is now trying to capitalise from the communal polarisation,”he said.
Certain people who are dreaming of the post of the chief minister are misusing the incident. “Those who are in official positions should not try for communal polarisation. It is not good for Kerala,” Surendran added.