West Bengal govt bans 'The Kerala Story' to 'maintain peace in state': CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the state has decided to the ban the controversial movie 'The Kerala Story'.

"This (ban on movie) is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state," said Mamata. 

Multiplexes across Tamil Nadu have also cancelled screenings of the controversial film from Sunday, citing law and order issues and poor public response.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh has announced that the film will be tax free in the state, while Uttar Pradesh minister Brajesh Pathak has said it will not oppose any proposal to grant similar status in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on May 5 credited the movie for bringing out terror conspiracies and used it to attack the Congress during an election rally in poll-bound Karnataka.

In a rally in Ballari in poll-bound Karnataka, PM Modi said on Friday, “Such a beautiful state of the country, where people are hardworking and talented. The ‘Kerala Story’ film brings out terror conspiracies happening in that state.” “It is unfortunate that Congress can be seen standing with this terror trend that is seeking to ruin the country. Congress is even indulging in backdoor political bargaining with people having terror inclinations. People of Karnataka should be cautious about Congress,” added Modi.

Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film has triggered a massive political row with various leaders reacting to the upcoming movie. 'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. The trailer of Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS.

"Their (opposition) face is getting exposed, they're doing appeasement and vote bank politics. By banning the film (The Kerala Story), West Bengal is committing injustice. Recently only, a girl was raped and murdered in Bengal... what are you ( Mamata Banerjee) getting by standing up for such terrorists," said Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur.

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