Veteran theatre artiste Nilambur Ayisha shares an affectionate moment, placing her hand on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s head in blessing, at the inaugural session of the first Cultural Congress organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs in Kochi on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: R.K. Nithin
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Saturday (December 20, 2025) that strong cultural resistance was required to check attempts by communal forces to destabilise the secular fabric of the country.
Such forces are making concerted efforts to destroy the values enshrined in the Constitution, he said in his inaugural address at the Indian Cultural Congress 2025 organised by the Department of Culture here.
He alleged that the Citizenship Amendment Act and the idea of ‘One Nation, One Election’ were attempts to destroy federalism. Such moves are also aimed at centralisation of power, he was quoted as saying in a release issued here.
He alleged that the Centre was trying to encroach upon the rights of autonomous institutions while referring to the intervention of the Ministry of Culture that prompted the Sahitya Akademi to cancel a press conference called by it to announce its annual literary awards. He said that there were attempts to silence the voices of writers and artists who dared to speak against such fascist forces.
Ministers Saji Cherian and P. Rajeeve were among those who were present.
Published – December 20, 2025 09:28 pm IST
