A day after the Kerala police arrested eleven people for allegedly showing disrespect towards the national anthem by not standing up at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram, BJP state chief Kummanam Rajasekharan said on Tuesday that it ‘dangerous’ that there is a trend of at least few people ‘hating’ the national anthem.
He said that nobody should encourage this trend. “Some try to spread the idea that nationalism is rigid and opposing it is liberal,” he said.
Coming down heavily on those who refused to stand up for the national anthem, he said that if someone is not happy with a Supreme Court order, then they should fight it legally, rather than insulting the nation on the streets.
“Those who live by accepting the freebies and facilities given by Constitution have certain duties to the nation. At any cost, young generation should not join to insult national values,” Kummanam said in a statement.
However, CPI (M) Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that their party will not support certain political parties that try to exploit this situation to push their nationalist political agenda. “We certainly have to respect Supreme Court Judgement, there is no doubt in it. But other parties exploiting the situation should not be allowed,” he said.
Police took 11 persons into custody in two separate cases Monday night from movie halls, screening films as part of IFFK. They were arrested for not standing up for the anthem, according to police.