Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has refuted any association with PR firm Kaizzen in the wake of controversy surrounding his recent interview with The Hindu. Addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, October 3, Pinarayi Vijayan stated, "Neither I nor the government has assigned a PR agency for interviews." He clarified that the interview was arranged by Devakumar’s son, (former MLA of CPI(M)), and denied knowledge of any PR firm's involvement.
“During the interview, another person entered the room, and I assumed he was from The Hindu, but later it was said he was from a PR firm. I did not know about them and haven’t assigned any agency,” the Chief Minister added.
The interview, published on Monday, September 30, titled ‘CPI(M) has always stridently opposed RSS, other Hindutva forces in Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan,’ covered topics such as communalism and gold smuggling. However, it sparked outrage, particularly from Muslim organisations, after alleged comments from Pinarayi Vijayan portraying Malappuram district as a hub for anti-national activities. Effigies of the Chief Minister were burned, with calls for his resignation.
In response, Chief Minister's Press Secretary, PM Manoj, sent a letter to the editor of The Hindu, raising concerns about the interview’s content, claiming certain statements were misattributed. The most contentious comment was about the amount of gold and hawala money seized from Malappuram.
While the Chief Minister accused the newspaper of misrepresenting his words, The Hindu claimed the interview had been edited at the request of Kaizzen, the PR agency that allegedly arranged the interaction. On Wednesday, October 2, Kaizzen denied Pinarayi Vijayan was a client of theirs.