New Delhi: Kerala Story-2 not being widely watched is good news: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that while it was good that the controversial film ‘Kerala Story-2 Goes Beyond’, was not being “widely watched”, it was concerning that television and media are increasingly being “weaponised” in the country.
Gandhi made the remarks, days after the release of the film, while interacting with students on a wide array of topics at the Marian College in Kuttikanam in Kerala’s Idukki district during his two-day tour to the state.
Gandhi spoke about the film ‘Kerala Story 2’, widely dubbed by critics as a film filled with communal rhetoric and opposed vociferously by parties including the Congress and the CPI(M), when a student asked him about movies being used as propaganda.
“The good news is that theatres screening Kerala Story – 2 seem to be empty and no one is watching it. At the same time, it shows that there are people, a majority of them, who have an understanding of what Kerala is and what its traditions and culture are,” Gandhi said.
“But, movies, TV and media have been weaponised. It has been used precisely for that purpose, to vilify people, alienate them and create divisions in society so that certain people can benefit and others are harmed. India has become very much like that. If a person wants to make a particular type of movie or wants to say something in the media, he will be attacked and not allowed to speak. Whereas, certain other ideas can be spread and propagated as much as you like and nothing will happen to you,” he said.
Gandhi said that although he represented Kerala in Parliament for five years, he could not fully understand the state in depth, but had learnt a great deal from the people of Wayanad.
“I was very surprised when I first arrived there. There was a big landslide that claimed several lives, but I was impressed by how people responded. Even after such a tragedy, they were helping others. It didn’t matter what community or financial background a person belonged to,” he said.
Gandhi added that “large amounts of money” are being spent to fund such content in India.
The Lok Sabha’s Leader of Opposition also spoke in detail about the country’s education system and the growth of Artificial Intelligence. He alleged that India’s education system is under pressure from a particular ideology.
“If you look at vice-chancellors in universities, a large number of them were appointed simply because they are part of the RSS or a particular ideology. There is ideological pressure on the education system. Education should not be limited to any particular way of thinking, especially not to the RSS’ divisive views,” he said.
During his interaction with students, Gandhi also participated in a demonstration of ‘Kalaripayattu’, the state’s traditional martial arts form.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi inaugurated the centenary celebration of the meeting of Mahatma Gandhi and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru in Kollam and talked at length about the values of truth and non-violence espoused by the two leaders.
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