Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has condemned the national broadcaster Doordarshan’s decision to screen the controversial film The Kerala Story on DD National channel.

Chief Minister Vijayan issued a strongly-worded social media post a few hours after Doordarshan listed the movie for 8 pm on Friday on DD National. He said that Doordarshan should immediately withdraw its decision to screen the film.

“The decision by @DDNational to broadcast the film ‘Kerala Story’, which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections. Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred.” Vijayan posted on X on Thursday.

The CM said that Doordarshan must not degrade into a puppet that dances to the communal agenda of the Sangh Parivar and demanded the Union Government not to use the platform to disparage Kerala. He said that the people from diverse religious backgrounds coexist harmoniously in the spirit of brotherhood in the state.

Kerala’s ruling CPI-M and Opposition UDF moved the Election Commission of India against Doordarshan telecasting the controversial movie The Kerala Story. Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan on Friday moved the ECI to bar Doordarshan from broadcasting the movie.

Satheesan sent a letter to the Election Commission of India on Friday, seeking to direct Doordarshan to withdraw from its decision to telecast the extremely malicious The Kerala Story movie.

“As you are aware, The Kerala Story is a propaganda film based on extremely false promises and attempts to paint a bleak picture of the people of the state. I believe this is part of Sangh Parivar’s poisonous agenda to divide the country along communal lines,” Satheesan said in his letter.

The CPI-M has urged the Election Commission to give directives to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Prasar Bharati Corporation and Doordarshan not to telecast the movie through any of its channels including DD National, either on Friday or any other day before all phases of Lok Sabha elections are over.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists held a dharna in front of the Doordarshan Kendra in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday morning, demanding that the national broadcaster rescind its decision to screen the controversial movie.