Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V V Rajesh Makes Disparaging Remarks About Singer Pushpavathy

Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor V V Rajesh has made disparaging remarks about singer Pushpavathy after the civic body prohibited a programme featuring her at Manaveeyam Veedhi. The mayor reportedly said that he had heard the name Pushpavathy for the first time only the previous day.

The Corporation had denied permission for programmes organised as part of the Manaveeyam Silver Jubilee Committee's celebrations. The programme titled 'Pushpavathy Sings' was scheduled to be held on Friday evening. Following the ban, cultural activists organised a protest gathering at Manaveeyam Veedhi on Friday evening.

The denial of permission for programmes at Manaveeyam, a cultural space in Thiruvananthapuram, had triggered widespread protests. A major protest had earlier been organised at the venue against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, whom the protesters accused of undermining the credibility of the country's electoral system. Police had also used force against a programme attended by actor Prakash Raj.

It was after this incident that the BJP-led Corporation began imposing restrictions on programmes at Manaveeyam Veedhi.

Members of the Manaveeyam cultural collective alleged that the BJP-led civic administration was interfering with freedom of expression following the protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. They also said cases were being registered against those organising programmes.

Cultural activists further alleged that permission was being granted only for BJP programmes, while events organised by other groups were being denied approval.