BHOPAL: A day after its nationwide release in theatres, the Adah Sharma-starrer ‘The Kerala Story’, was declared tax-free in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. The decision by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government to give tax breaks to the movie, which focuses on the alleged forced religious conversion of women in Kerala before inducting them into the terror outfit ISIS, happened six months before the next assembly polls in the state.
Announcing the decision, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said: “The movie exposes the plot of Love Jihad, religious conversion, and terrorism. It brings to the fore the disgusting face of these menaces. This film also reveals how the lives of those daughters are destroyed, who in momentary emotions, get trapped in Love Jihad. It also tells us about the terrorist designs.”
“We’ve already enacted a law to stop forced religious conversion in Madhya Pradesh. This film needs to be watched by everyone, including parents and children, particularly the daughters. This is why the Madhya Pradesh government is declaring this film tax-free,” Chouhan said in a video message.
A few days back, some ruling BJP leaders, including state party secretary Rahul Kothari, had written to the chief minister, requesting to declare The Kerala Story tax-free in the state. With Saturday’s development,
Madhya Pradesh is perhaps the first state in the country to give a tax break to the controversial movie.
Several petitions seeking a stay on its release have already been rejected by the high courts of Kerala and Madras. The Supreme Court has also refused to entertain a plea against the film. With Saturday’s development, The Kerala Story has become the fifth film in three years to have been declared tax-free in Madhya Pradesh.