'Go to moon remark': Kerala CM comes out in support of filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 27: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Saturday visited and extended all support to renowned filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who was asked by a BJP leader to shift to the Moon if he was unable to tolerate those chanting "Jai Sri Ram."
A day after Adoor and others raised voice against violence in the name of religion, BJP spokesperson Gopalakrishnan in Kerala had hit out at the auteur saying he was a respected filmmaker, but cannot 'insult' the culture of the country.
"The BJP leadership also comes out in support of such statements. This has been happening in other parts of the country. I would like to remind them that this plan won't work out in Kerala," Vijayan told the media after meeting Adoor.
"We have seen how well Keralites were united and backed Adoor. I just want to remind them about that," Vijayan said.
The chief minister said "secular forces" would continue to defend the state which will always follow a distinctive culture.
Vijayan said Adoor has got the support of whole of Kerala. "I just wanted to reassure all the support to him," Vijayan said.
Rajya Sabha member M P Veerendra Kumar also condemned the BJP leader's statement.
Veerendra Kumar said mob attacks on minorities were on the rise and all those who believe in democracy are upset with the rising incidents of lynching in the country.
Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala also visited and assured Adoor all support.
The BJP leader's outburst came after 49 eminent citizens, including Adoor, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concern that 'Jai Shri Ram' had become a war cry with many lynchings taking place.
"If you are not keen to hear it (Jai Sri Ram), please register your name at Sriharikota and you can go to the moon", the BJP leader had told Adoor in a sarcasm-laced post, adding it will be better if he changed his name.
Concerned at the number of "religious identity-based hate crimes" in the county, the group of eminent citizens had said in the letter that 'Jai Shri Ram' has become a provocative war cry with many lynchings taking place in its name.
Celebrities from various fields, including Aparna Sen, vocalist Shubha Mudgal, historian Ramchandra Guha and sociologist Ashis Nandy, had signed the July 23 letter.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
