Kerala’s Culture Minister, Saji Cherian, alleged on Saturday that instances of creative freedom being questioned have significantly increased since the BJP came to power at the Centre. He highlighted the recent denial of certification to the upcoming Malayalam film Janaki Vs State of Kerala (JSK) due to its name as the most current example, reported news agency PTI.

Further, Minister Cherian expressed his dismay that despite a BJP Union Minister of State, Suresh Gopi, having a role in the film, it has still been refused clearance for public exhibition. He directly questioned the rationale behind this, asking, “What is wrong with the name Janaki?”

In a strong rebuke to the BJP, the minister claimed that ever since the saffron party’s ascent to power, it has been actively “dictating what people should write, say or eat and how they should act or live in an attempt to communally divide the public.”