Congress stages protest in Ernakulam by singing controversial parody song

The Ernakulam District Congress Committee (DCC) on Friday (December 19) staged a protest against the case registered over the parody song “Pottiye Kettye,” which has since gone viral on social media as party workers and leaders collectively rendered the song across 155 centres in the district as part of the protest.

Congress Legislative Party deputy leader K. Babu, MLA, inaugurated the district-level protest at Menaka Junction in the city. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Babu said the government’s action against a mere parody song had exposed the true face of the Chief Minister and the government, who otherwise make such hue and cry over freedom of expression. He reminded that Kerala had always been a State without restrictions on creative freedom, but is now ruled by a government intolerant of dissent.

He pointed out that the government had proceeded against a parody song at a time when it raised a banner of revolt in the name of freedom of expression over the denial of permission to screen certain films at the International Film Festival of Kerala.

Mr. Babu said if the government continued its action against the song, it would only distort its own image, while democratic Kerala would continue to sing it.

DCC president Muhammed Shiyas, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee vice presidents V.P. Sajindran and Jaison Joseph, general secretary I.K. Raju, leaders Dominic Presentation, N. Venugopal, M.A. Chandrasekharan, Zakir Hussain, Tony Chammany, Ludy Louis, Joshi Pallan, Babu Puthanangadi, Mahila Congress State secretary V.K. Minimol, district president Sunila Sibi, Youth Congress district president Sijo Joseph, Polachan Maniyangot, Ullas Thomas, K.P. Baby, Vivek Haridas, P.V. Sajeevan, Viju Choolakkan, T.K. Ramesh, O.D. Xavier, V.R. Sudheer, P.A. Sagheer, and Jerjes Jacob participated.