Outraged by actor Jayasurya’s criticism against the CPI(M)-led Kerala government, the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) state president N Arun, on Friday, September 1, claimed that the actor had insulted the state of Kerala with his remarks. “The allegation of actor Jayasurya that remuneration was not provided to farmers was made to insult Kerala,” he said. He alleged that the actor made the remarks at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A day earlier, at a public event, Jayasurya claimed that the Pinarayi-led government has been denying remuneration to the farmers despite procuring paddy from them.
Addressing the media, Arun alleged that celebrities are becoming supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) due to the influence of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He alleged that the Sangh Parivar forces were using the film industry to reach the people and raised questions if Jayasurya was being threatened with the ED. “He is falsely stating that remuneration is not being given to farmers. The state government is providing as much help as possible to farmers. We should see what happens in other states and how farmers are treated there. Jayasurya is a person who did not write one line when the Delhi farmers protest happened,” he added.
During an agriculture fest held in Ernakulam, Jayasurya alleged that his friend Krishnaprasad - a farmer and an actor - was denied remuneration on time despite supplying grains to the Kerala Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco). Supplyco procures paddy from farmers, processes them in modern mills, and remits money directly into the farmers’ accounts.
Minister for Agriculture P Prasad, who participated in the event immediately countered Jayasurya’s claim, stating that Krishnaprasad had received his money and that the actor’s statement was not factual. The Minister said that he checked the documents and found that Krishnaprasad was duly paid.