India: National Award for Kerala Story 'grave insult' to state, says CM Pinarayi Vijayan
The 2023 release, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, explores alleged cases of forced religious conversion in Kerala for ISIS recruitment.
Vijayan accused the film of spreading misinformation and said that honouring such a film is a grave insult to the state.
Without naming the film, he posted on X, "By honouring a film that spreads blatant misinformation with the clear intent of tarnishing Kerala's image and sowing seeds of communal hatred, the jury of the #NationalFilmAwards has lent legitimacy to a narrative rooted in the divisive ideology of the Sangh Parivar."
"Kerala, a land that has always stood as a beacon of harmony and resistance against communal forces, has been gravely insulted by this decision. It is not just Malayalis, but everyone who believes in democracy, must raise their voice in defence of truth and the constitutional values we hold dear," he added.
Kerala Story, starring Adah Sharma in the lead, drew criticism from the CPI(M)-led Kerala government during its release for its plot showing a group of women forcefully converted by the Islamic State.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UAE Moments
21 minutes ago
- UAE Moments
Trumps Implements Additional 25% Tariff on India
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, citing India's continued purchases of Russian oil and accusing New Delhi of enabling the Russian war effort in Ukraine. This new levy is set to take effect 21 days after August 6, 2025, effectively doubling total U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, including sectors such as textiles, footwear, gems and jewelry. Certain products like steel, aluminum, and pharmaceuticals may be exempt under prior sector-specific duties. India's government swiftly condemned the move as 'extremely unfortunate,' labeling it unjustified and unfair. Officials emphasized that energy imports were driven by domestic needs—serving the power requirements of 1.4 billion people—and pointed out that other countries import Russian oil without facing similar penalties. India's exporters warn of severe disruption to shipments, pointing to potential declines in export volumes and investor confidence. Last year, Indian exports to the U.S. totaled nearly $87 billion, making these tariffs among the steepest levied on any trading partner. While India's economy remains largely domestic-driven, observers warn that the political fallout and trade uncertainty may affect the country's ambition to attract major manufacturers and investments. The executive order advances Trump's broader 'secondary tariff' strategy, aimed at penalizing third-party nations that trade in Russian oil or critical goods. While China also imports significant volumes of Russian energy, it has not been targeted under this order yet—adding to India's sense of diplomatic grievance. In tandem, the White House is said to be exploring sanctions against other such countries under similar legal authority. As the tariffs loom, attention turns to upcoming diplomatic engagement, potential policy shifts in India, and how businesses will adapt to higher trade barriers. Negotiations may still emerge, but U.S.–India relations now face one of the most challenging chapters in years. This article was previously published on saudimoments. To see the original article, click here
Khaleej Times
27 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Rahul Gandhi alleges massive 'vote theft', accuses poll body of colluding with BJP
Congress leader and India's Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday accused the country's Election Commission of enabling large-scale voter fraud to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling it a 'crime against democracy.' At a press conference in Indira Bhawan in New Delhi, Gandhi alleged that millions of fake voters were added in key states, voter lists were manipulated, and critical data was withheld by the Election Commission. He said his party had uncovered what he described as a massive 'vote theft,' and accused the poll body of colluding with the ruling party by denying access to electronic voter lists and erasing CCTV footage from polling stations. 'This is a full-blown attack on our democratic system,' Gandhi said, taking the gathering through a PowerPoint presentation on a giant screen, dressed in his favourite T-shirt. 'The Election Commission should be protecting democracy, not destroying it." Gandhi said the Congress party's internal research found over 100,000 irregular or duplicate votes in a single constituency, Mahadevapura, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The irregularities, he claimed, were enough to influence the final result in Bangalore Central. According to Gandhi, the alleged vote theft in that constituency included tens of thousands of entries with fake addresses, voters registered in bulk under single homes, invalid photographs, and improper use of registration forms meant for new voters. He also cited similar concerns in state of Maharashtra, where he claimed that nearly four million new voters were mysteriously added in just five months , more than what was recorded in the previous five years combined. 'We asked for machine-readable voter lists. They refused to give them. That alone tells you something is being hidden,' he said. In Karnataka, Gandhi said internal projections had indicated Congress would win 16 seats, but the party ended up with only nine. He pointed to a gap of just over 114,000 votes in Mahadevapura, alleging that 100,250 of those votes were fraudulent, a figure based on what he called detailed analysis conducted over six months. 'This entire process is being sabotaged. If the EC had given us the proper data, we could have analysed it in 30 seconds. Instead, they gave us scanned copies that can't even be read by a computer,' he said, accusing the Commission of deliberately making scrutiny impossible. He described the situation as an 'atom bomb' against free elections and warned that once the Opposition comes to power, those responsible, including polling personnel, would be held accountable. Gandhi's remarks come ahead of a planned rally in Bengaluru on Friday. He and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge are expected to lead a protest march at Freedom Park, calling it a fight to protect voter rights. He also made a direct appeal to India's judiciary to intervene. 'We are presenting concrete evidence. The courts must take this seriously. The Election Commission cannot be allowed to operate with impunity.' While the Congress party has filed complaints with the poll body, Gandhi said there has been no response. The Election Commission has not yet issued a statement addressing the allegations. The charges come amid growing political tensions in India, where the recent elections saw the BJP return to power but with a reduced majority. Gandhi's campaign to challenge the legitimacy of some results could fuel further scrutiny of India's electoral process in the coming months.
Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Oil steadies on potential Trump-Putin meeting in coming days
Oil prices steadied on Thursday, paring early gains after the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming days, raising expectations for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine. Brent crude futures were up 21 cents, or 0.3%, at $67.1 a barrel by 0902 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 20 cents, or 0.3%, to $64.55. Both benchmarks slid about 1% on Wednesday, touching their lowest in eight weeks, after comments from Trump on progress in talks with Moscow. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday that Trump and Putin will meet in the coming days in what would be the first summit between leaders of the two countries since 2021. A White House official had previously said that Trump could meet Putin as soon as next week, though the U.S. continued preparations to impose secondary sanctions, potentially including China, to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. Oil is modestly up, benefiting from a crude draw in the U.S., higher Saudi prices for Asia and solid Chinese crude imports in July, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo, adding that gains were curbed by news of the potential Trump-Putin meeting next week. Russia is the world's second-biggest producer of oil behind the United States. The Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday that U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell by 3 million barrels to 423.7 million barrels in the week ended August 1, exceeding an expected decline of 591,000 barrels in a Reuters poll of analysts. In China, crude oil imports in July dipped 5.4% from June but were still up 11.5% year on year, with analysts expecting refining activity to remain firm in the near term. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, on Wednesday raised its September crude oil prices for Asian buyers, the second monthly rise in a row, on tight supply and robust demand. Global macroeconomic uncertainty capped price gains, however, after the U.S. ordered a fresh set of tariffs on Indian goods. Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods on Wednesday, citing the country's continued imports of Russian oil. The new import tax will take effect on August 28. Trump also said he could announce further tariffs on China.
