Suresh Gopi is entitled to his opinion, party’s stand is Mukesh should resign: BJP Kerala leader

When asked about the allegations against actor and CPI(M) MP M Mukesh, Gopi said the matter is with the court and it will take a decision.

“You (media) are not only making people fight with each other for your own gain, you are also misleading the public perception. The complaints at present are in the form of allegations. What are you telling people? Are you the court? You are not. The court will decide. Let the court decide,” Gopi told reporters in Thrissur.

After this, BJP president K Surendran said that Gopi, as an actor and a minister, is entitled to his personal opinion, but the party’s stand is that Mukesh should resign.

“Party is what party leadership decides,” he said while talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

When reporters sought to hear Gopi’s comments on Surendran’s statements, the actor angrily pushed some of them away, according to footage aired on TV channels.

According to the footage, some reporters approached Gopi as he tried to enter his official vehicle and he pushed them away, saying, “What is this? My way is my right. Please.”

Then he got into the car and left without answering a single question from the reporters.

Earlier in the day, Gopi called the allegations “fodder” for the media and said they should be allowed to make money out of it.

However, the Secretary of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism said that one should not try to destroy such a major industry as cinema.

“This is all food for you, I understand that. You can use it to make money. (That’s) no problem. But these issues are before the court, and it has the intelligence and logic to decide on this,” he said.

His reaction came a day after the Yuva Morcha organised a march to Mukesh’s residence in Kollam.

The release of the Justice K Hema Commission report on harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry has sparked a storm of protest. Several female actors have come forward with disturbing stories of abuse they faced at the hands of their male counterparts.

Following these allegations, the government announced the creation of a seven-member special investigation team to investigate the allegations made following the publication of the Hema Commission report.

After that, more complaints were filed against various actors and directors.

The report by the Justice Hema Committee, set up by the Kerala government after the 2017 sexual assault case of an actress, has brought to light cases of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, leading to calls for action against the culprits.