Gopalakrishnan said the criticism was unjustified because Mammootty had visited to congratulate his daughter and her husband after being unable to attend their wedding. He appealed for the attacks to stop and insisted that personal relationships should not be judged through political affiliations.
The BJP leader said friendship transcended politics, caste, religion, language, colour and clothing. Such relationships had long existed across Kerala’s political and social divisions, he said, and attempts to undermine them were contrary to the spirit of coexistence that people should uphold.
Mammootty visited Gopalakrishnan’s home on Sunday evening and met the newlyweds. Photographs and videos of the meeting circulated widely on social media, prompting hostile comments from some users who questioned the actor’s association with a senior BJP functionary.
Gopalakrishnan questioned why Mammootty alone was being targeted when politicians belonging to rival parties had attended the marriage ceremony. He cited the presence of Chief Minister V D Satheesan, Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala among the guests.
He also referred to Congress representatives, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders and other public figures who had joined the celebrations, arguing that their attendance demonstrated the distinction between political disagreement and private friendship.
The politician rejected suggestions that genuine CPI(M) workers were responsible for the attacks. He alleged that individuals with particular interests, including people presenting themselves online as supporters of the party, were behind the campaign. He did not publicly establish the identities of those responsible.
“Please do not turn my daughter’s wedding into a political controversy,” Gopalakrishnan said, appealing to social media users to end the criticism. He maintained that politics should not intrude upon friendship or personal occasions.
His remarks sought to separate the actor’s courtesy visit from the ideological positions of the BJP. The controversy arose not from a public political endorsement by Mammootty but from images of his meeting with the family, which some commentators interpreted through the state’s sharply divided party landscape.
Gopalakrishnan said the actor had been invited to the wedding but could not attend on the scheduled day. The subsequent home visit, he explained, was intended to convey congratulations directly to the couple rather than participate in any political activity.
The marriage of Gopalakrishnan’s daughter Anagha took place on November 1 in Guruvayur. Mammootty’s visit followed a week later, and the photographs subsequently became the focus of online exchanges about whether public personalities should maintain personal relationships across party lines.
The BJP leader said people should regard such friendships as examples of social harmony instead of treating them as evidence of political alignment. He argued that political differences need not prevent individuals from sharing important family occasions or maintaining longstanding personal connections.
Gopalakrishnan also said prominent CPI(M) supporters from Kannur had visited his home before the wedding and helped with preparations. Their involvement, he maintained, illustrated how personal bonds could endure despite opposing political commitments.
Former minister R Bindu, who could not attend the ceremony, later visited the family at home, he added. He said guests from different parties had responded to his invitation, making it unreasonable to single out an actor for extending similar courtesy.
CPI(M) central committee member Thomas Isaac also denied that the party was involved in the online attacks against Mammootty.
(The article ‘BJP leader condemns cyber attacks over Mammootty wedding visit’ appeared first on Free Press Journal.)
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