Explainer: Actor Jayasurya caught in row after highlighting farmer woes in Kerala

Actor Jayasurya’s public criticism of the Kerala government’s failures in the farm sector has sparked a row in the state, with ministers dismissing his allegations and Left supporters questioning his politics on social media. Jayasurya made the comments critical of the government during an event held as part of the Kalamassery Karshikotsavam (agriculture fest) in Ernakulam on Monday, August 28.

The fest was held as part of the Krishikoppam Kalamassery initiative launched by Industries Minister P Rajeev to promote agriculture in his constituency. Jayasurya spoke after Minister for Agriculture P Prasad, who said that the new generation is hesitant to take up agriculture as a profession.

Highlighting the plight of Krishnaprasad, a farmer and an actor, Jayasurya alleged that Krishnaprasad was denied remuneration on time despite supplying grains to the Kerala Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco). The agency procures paddy from farmers, processes them in modern mills, and remits money directly into the farmers’ accounts.

“Just because someone is a minister he might not be aware of certain issues,” Jayasurya said addressing Minister P Prasad, who was on the dais. “Usually when a movie turns out to be a flop, the main character would be the last one to know about that. So I would like to remind the minister about the troubles faced by farmers. My friend Krishnaprasad, who is also an actor, makes a living as a farmer. He gave the rice he cultivated to Supplyco five or six months ago but has not received the remuneration. The farmers are observing a hunger strike during Onam. I am talking on behalf of them,” the actor said.

This kicked up a controversy. Though some praised the actor for taking up the cause of farmers while ministers were on the dais, others questioned his motive and asked why he was silent when the farmer agitation had rocked Delhi.

Minister Prasad came down heavily on Jayasurya saying that Krishnaprasad had received his money and that the actor’s statement was not factual. “There are farmers who are to be paid, but since he spoke about one single person we had to check it,” the Minister said, adding that only one person in a 30-member strong group of farmers, which includes Krishnaprasad, did not receive the Supplyco payment.

Prasad said there is a system where loans are taken from banks to pay the farmers on time when there is delay in fund allocation from the Union government and state government. “The crisis occurred because of technical issues on the side of banks. Palakkad was the most affected. There were issues with the State Bank of India and Canara Bank stepped in and helped a lot. The farmers who did not have an account in Canara Bank had faced issues. Even on holidays there were camps organised to get Canara Bank accounts for the remaining farmers. We feel that he [Jayasurya] should have understood all these factors before criticising,” the Minister said.

Prasad said Jayasurya is a good actor and he respects him for that but he should not act in front of the people. “There is an agenda behind this. That was a function organised by Minister Rajeev. Krishikkoppam initiative was a huge success in Kalamassery. Jayasurya was invited there. His response was well-planned,” alleged Prasad.

Krishnaprasad, while praising Jayasurya for standing up for farmers, said that while he got the payment from the government there were many farmers who have not been paid. “The money was paid in the form of a bank loan in July but there are thousands of farmers who remain unpaid. I wish that the government showed the same enthusiasm to find the documents related to the payment given to me to pay farmers on time,” he said.

Responding to the criticism, Jayasurya said on Thursday that he was not politicking but wanted to highlight the cause of farmers to ensure speedy intervention by the government.