The war of words between the BJP and the rest of the political parties barring NDA partners in Kerala on nationalism reached a new peak with the BJP’s national leadership declaring support for its State general secretary AN Radhakrishnan over his remark that popular filmmaker Kamal, who had protested the detention of some film festival delegates for not standing up while National Anthem was being played in a movie hall, could leave the country.
“First I demand his (Kamal’s) apology... if he has made any statement against Indian nationalism and national sentiment,” H Raja, BJP’s national secretary in charge of Kerala affairs, said on Tuesday. State BJP sources indicated that the party would intensify its campaign against the likes of Kamal.
Raja said that every citizen’s was duty-bound to respect National Anthem and that there should be efforts to inculcate the feelings of nationalism and patriotism in the minds of all people right from childhood itself. “I think this filmmaker’s problem is that he had failed to take good lessons on nationalism and patriotism from his childhood,” he said.
Unleashing a verbal attack against Kamal (real name Kamaluddin), Radhakrishnan had the other day accused him of having links with Islamist organizations like the SDPI and said that Kamal, who is also the chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy, could opt to leave the country if he was not ready to respect symbols and representations of nationalism and patriotism.
“Kamal doubts whether one should stand up while the National Anthem is being played in a movie hall. If he is not interested in living in this country, it would be better if he leaves,” he said. The BJP had taken out a march to Kamal’s house last month after he objected to the arrest of film festival delegates for not standing up while National Anthem was being played.
Radhakrishnan’s attack against Kamal evoked angry responses from parties like the CPI(M), Congress, Muslim league, etc. State CPI(M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said, “What we are hearing from the BJP leaders are insane ramblings that should be fettered,” adding that Radhakrishnan and others were continuing to spew the poison of communalism.
“From when did India become the ancestral property of the Sangh PariwarIJ” was how senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan MlA responded to Radhakrishnan’s statements. “Patriotism is not the itch one feels while wearing saffron,” he said. The filmmaker, however, said he did not want to respond to the BJP leaders’ comments.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and the Muslim league demanded registration of a case against Radhakrishnan. State Congress president VM Sudheeran said the BJP was trying to create communal polarization in Kerala as it was convinced that its other campaigns had failed to influence Keralites.
The State BJP had stood with Radhakrishnan when he had drawn flak from various corners after he triggered a controversy a few days ago with his attack against Jnanpith-winning Malayalam writer MT Vasudevan Nair for criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetization.
Radhakrishnan also opened a new war front against the Marxists by criticizing their worship for communist revolutionaries like Ernesto Che Guevara. According to Radhakrishnan, CPI(M)’s youth outfit DYFI should remove the pictures of the Cuban revolution’s leader from its campaign boards.
Representations of Che Guevara on campaign material would help only in sowing the seeds of anarchism among the youth, he said. It was inappropriate to install his pictures along with those of Sree Narayana Guru and Swami Vivekananda and the DYFI should put the pictures of CPI(M) leaders on their boards instead of those of Che, the BJP leader said.