After Madhya Pradesh, UP Declares ‘The Kerala Story’ Tax-Free

The Uttar Pradesh government will declare the recently released film ‘The Kerala Story’ tax-free in the state, chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Tuesday.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath could watch the film along with his cabinet colleagues at a special screening to be organised at Lok Bhawan, the chief minister’s secretariat said.

Last year, the UP CM had also watched Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ at a special screening after declaring the movie tax-free in the state.

UP BJP secretary Raghvendra Mishra had recently shown the film to 100 girl students in Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh has become the second state after Madhya Pradesh to make the controversial film ‘tax-free’.

“The film shows how the (life of) daughters who get entangled in the trap of love jihad get destroyed. It also exposes the design of terrorism”, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a video message.

“While we have already brought a law against (forced) conversion, the film creates awareness about the issue. This film should be watched by all and that’s why the Madhya Pradesh government is declaring the film tax-free,” he added.

The film has received support from the Bharatiya Janata Party with Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoking it during his poll rally in Karnataka.

“The movie ‘The Kerala story’ is trying to expose the consequences of terrorism in a society, especially in a state like Kerala which is beautiful land of hardworking, talented and intellectual people. The Congress party is now trying to ban the film and support the terror elements”, Modi said at a poll rally in Ballari last week.

The film depicting the forcible conversion of girls before being recruited by terror group Islamic State has already kicked up a political storm across the country. The West Bengal government on Monday banned the Sudipto Sen-directorial.

“West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie The Kerala Story. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state”, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said on Monday.