Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 21 (ANI): BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla has accused the Congress of joining forces with Jamaat-e-Islami in opposing the film 'The Kerala Story 2' and said the movie against women's exploitation.

Trailer has been released of 'The Kerala Story 2' and it is slated to be released in theatres later this month.

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"The Kerala story, which was first based on Love Jihad, and now the second part of it, is based on how women are being forced to convert and how women are being exploited. I don't know why the vote bank is under such pressure that earlier, it was Pinarayi Vijayan, who opposed it, and now the Congress is also opposing it. Similarly, this is the same group that talks about freedom of speech, freedom of films, freedom of journalism, and freedom of books. But when a film introduces this kind of rigid thinking, proves it, and uncovers it, then, in the name of the vote bank, now all those who oppose it," Poonawalla said.

"I want to ask, why do they try to hide this kind of truth again and again? The Catholic Church had spoken about Love Jihad. The court had spoken about Love Jihad. But the Congress has joined forces with the Jamaat-e-Islami... Now, under their pressure, they are opposing a film on women and a film against women's exploitation too," he alleged.

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Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan denouncing the movie as "fabricated narratives" and a renewed attempt to spread communal division on Thursday.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that nothing should be done which spreads hate among people.

"The first film, Kerala Story, was a hate-mongering film. It lacked any foundation. They were saying that thousands of people were converted, which is not true. I think there were around 30 such cases over a number of years. Ours is a very big country. If a case occurs here and there, it doesn't mean you should turn it into a big story and use it as propaganda... What's the point of saying things that will only spread hatred in people's minds and are not even correct?... In our childhood, films like Amar Akbar Antony used to get entertainment tax exemptions," he said. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)