IS recruitment from Kerala cannot be denied; Kerala CM knows exact figures: BJP

PTI, May 1, 2023, 8:06 PM IST

The political storm kicked up in Kerala by the controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’ continued to blow in the state, with the BJP claiming that recruitment into the Islamic State (IS) terror outfit from the southern state cannot be denied and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was aware of the exact figures.

While the political debate raged in the state over the factual basis of the movie and whether its content could be justified by invoking the right of freedom of expression, it also kicked off a “cash for proof” game, with varying amounts being offered as reward for providing evidence of women who converted and joined the Islamic State from Kerala as claimed in the film.

As the BJP came out in support of the controversial film, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said that Keralites had the right to say loud and clear that the movie was a “misrepresentation of our reality”.