A recent row in Kerala over an actor staging protest against a Congress stir blocking the road in Kochi city and Congress workers vandalising his luxury car is snowballing into a confrontation between Congress and the film industry.
Congress workers staged protests at a couple of film shooting locations in the state over the last two days maintaining that film shooting blocking roads would not be allowed. The Congress workers were also unleashing a campaign that drug abuse was rampant at film shooting locations.
While Congress state leadership was maintaining silence over the developments, a forum in the film industry urged that film shootings should not be disrupted.
Actor Joju George had staged a protest against a stir organised by the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kochi on November 1. George was among the hundreds of motorists held up in Kochi city owing to the road blockade stir against escalating fuel prices. Hence, he staged the protest against stir blocking roads, that too during the busy hours. He also received support from many motorists.
But agitated Congress workers even damaged his luxury car and filed a police petition accusing George of misbehaving with women party workers. The actor filed a police petition for damaging his car and the police arrested Congress local leaders. Even as Congress leaders initiated compromise talks with Joju to settle the issue amicably, those attempts failed. There were also allegations that a film-maker known for left leniency sabotaged the compromise attempts.
Subsequently, Congress turned its ire against the film industry. On Sunday Congress workers staged a protest at a couple of shooting locations maintaining that shooting blocking roads would not be allowed. Congress and Youth Congress workers were also alleging that drug abuse was quite rampant at film sets.
With the centre reducing the excise duty on fuel, Congress is claiming victory over its stir against the increasing fuel price. This indeed gave an impetus to the party to take a strong stand against the actor accusing him of protesting against a stir against the escalating fuel price.
The Film Employees Federation of Kerala urged the Congress leadership to ensure that film shooting were not disrupted as part of the strike.
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