Shiv Sena (UBT) has slammed the BJP over ‘the Kerala story controversy’ calling the movie a propaganda film. The film is a part of BJP's campaign and such films are made when elections are nearby, said Sena leader Sanjay Raut. The Hindu-Muslim issue is the most important topic in such movies. The BJP cannot go to the polls without (focusing on) this issue, said Raut.
The Sena leader’s remarks have come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the Congress by mentioning the movie during his campaign in the ongoing Karnataka assembly elections.Referring to the film, the PM had said it focuses on ‘a new face of terrorism.’ "Such a beautiful state, whose people are so hardworking and talented. The Kerala Story film, the Kerala Files film, has exposed the designs of terrorists in such a state," Modi said.
"In the past few years, a new face of terror, a diabolic face, has been born. The sound of bombs, guns and pistols will be audible. But there won’t be any sound of the terror conspiracy that seeks to destroy society from within. Even the courts have expressed concern about this face of terror. The film The Kerala Story is based on such a terror conspiracy."Ever since its release on May 5, the Adah Sharma-starrer The Kerala Story has been mired in controversy due to its sensitive subject. Its teaser had claimed that 32,000 non-Muslim girls had been lured, converted and radicalised in Kerala as part of an alleged IS plot.