BJP leader shows ‘The Kerala Story’ to 100 Hindu girls in Lucknow

LUCKNOW To save them from ‘love jihad’, 100 Hindu female students of Navyug Kanya Post Graduate College were shown ‘The Kerala Story’ — the recently-released movie loosely based on the lives of alleged ISIS women recruits — at a cinema hall in Lucknow on Saturday.

Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the movie is headlined by Adah Sharma. (HT Photo)
Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the movie is headlined by Adah Sharma. (HT Photo)
The tickets were sponsored by U.P. BJP secretary Abhijat Mishra, who also watched the movie along with the female students. Following the show, Mishra put out a tweet (in Hindi) saying, “Show #KeralaStory to save girls from Love Jihad (sic)… Be alert, be safe.”

Used frequently in political discourses, “Love jihad” refers to the concept of a Muslim man luring a Hindu woman into accepting Islam. “It is very important to protect them (young women) from falling into the trap of Muslim boys,” added Mishra.

When asked about his move to show the movie to female students, Mishra said, “Firstly, love jihad is an insult to love. Secondly, they are making our children anti-national. Everyone is free to practice their religion but it is unacceptable to subject others to physical exploitation and push them onto the wrong path.” He also claimed that during his three-month stint in Kerala, he witnessed how Hindu women were being lured by Muslim men.

Commenting on the development, Manjula Upadhyay, the principal of Navyug Kanya PG College, said, “The consent of the girls was taken before showing them the movie.” She added that a couple of teachers also accompanied the girls.

Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the movie is headlined by Adah Sharma. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also invoked the movie while addressing a rally in poll-bound Karnataka.