Congress unit in Kerala is screening the controversial BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday evening though the central government has banned it in India saying it's false and motivated "propaganda".
This comes amid the central government pursuing widespread censorship of the two-part series in India, terming it as false and motivated "propaganda".
The documentary titled 'India: The Modi Question' is based on the 2002 Gujarat riots when PM Modi was the state's Chief Minister. The series also delves into Modi's politics with respect to the state of Muslims in India since his ascension to the country’s most powerful post.
In Kerala, the documentary is at the centre of this row even within the Congress as veteran Congress leader AK Antony's son Anil K Antony recently quit the party alleging "intolerant calls to retract a tweet" in which he had defied the Congress stand and slammed the BBC documentary.
He stated that those giving preference to the narrative of a British state owned channel with colonial prejudices over national institutions sets a "dangerous precedent". He also slammed Jack Straw, the former UK foreign secretary who features in the documentary, and pointed to his role in the Iraq war.
The president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), K Sudhakaran responded to Anil’s tweet, stating that Congress is dedicated to saving freedom of speech and expression. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also shot back at Antony, terming his stance as “immature”.
There have been one of many such screening events organised by several Opposition parties, free-speech activists, and students across the country. The Congress is in the opposition in Kerala, too, but the ruling CPM has also taken a stand against banning the documentary, reports ndtv.com
Screening of the documentary has been stopped at several cities across the country primarily in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Delhi.
JNU and Jamia Milia Islamia witnessed heightened tensions after a clash between the administration and students after attempts were made for a public screening of the documentary on campus.
