PR Representatives Requested: The Hindu’s Clarification As Kerala CM Disowns Malappuram Statement
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently disowned statements attributed to him regarding gold smuggling in Malappuram, following an interview published by The Hindu. In the interview, Vijayan had allegedly stated that money from gold smuggling and hawala transactions in Malappuram was used for “anti-state” and “anti-national activities”. This sparked a political row, with opposition parties, including the Congress, accusing him of attempting to please right-wing groups.
The controversy escalated when PM Manoj, the Chief Minister’s press secretary, sent a letter to The Hindu claiming the CM never made any such statements in reference to Malappuram. Manoj clarified that Vijayan did not mention any specific region or use the terms “anti-State” or “anti-national activities”. The letter expressed concerns over the misattribution, which had caused unwarranted public outrage and misinterpretation.
In response, The Hindu issued a clarification, explaining that the CM’s interview was conducted in the presence of two PR representatives from the agency Kaizzen. One of these representatives had requested the inclusion of the disputed lines, stating that they were part of a previous press conference held by the CM. The Hindu acknowledged the error in attributing those statements to Vijayan during the interview and apologised for the lapse in journalistic rigour.
The Congress seized the opportunity to criticise the Chief Minister, with Leader of the Opposition, V D Satheesan, alleging that Vijayan’s remarks about Malappuram were an attempt to curry favour with right-wing leaders in New Delhi. Satheesan further questioned why the government had not taken action if the alleged money from gold smuggling was linked to anti-national activities. The opposition also accused Vijayan of targeting the people of Malappuram to settle political scores with Nilambur MLA P V Anvar, who has recently been at odds with the ruling CPI(M).
