People should say 'cut' to Suresh Gopi: Kerala Minister Ganesh Kumar

Palakkad (Kerala) |Launching a sharp attack on Union Minister Suresh Gopi for his recent controversial remarks, Kerala Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar on Monday said it is the people—not anyone else—who should say "cut" to the actor-turned-politician.

Responding to a question about Gopi's outburst at mediapersons outside Kochi airport recently, Ganesh Kumar stated, "I'm not the director to say 'cut' to Suresh Gopi. Action and reaction are personal choices. But in the end, it's the public who should say, ‘Cut'." Taking a dig at the BJP's Thrissur MP, Kumar—also an actor-turned-politician—added that it was not Gopi's mistake "but a mistake made by the people of Thrissur in choosing him." Asked about his reaction to the attack on Christians, including Malayali priests, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Gopi had lost his cool and responded harshly to reporters.

"Now I can only pray that something good happens for the people of Thrissur," Kumar said.

He claimed that when the movie Commissioner was released three decades ago, Suresh Gopi, who played the role of a city police commissioner, used to keep a police officer's cap with ‘IPS' written on it in the rear of his car.

"It was visible through the glass—as if he were actually an IPS officer. That tells you all you need to know," Kumar said, mocking Gopi.

Neither Gopi nor the BJP has responded to Kumar's remarks.

Responding to the cyberattacks on the recently released Mohanlal-Prithviraj starrer 'L2: Empuraan', the minister said the assault reminded him of "the Emergency era".

Union Minister Suresh Gopi

"While criticism is part of democracy, it shouldn't take this form," he said.

"The controversy surrounding 'Empuraan' is unnecessary. At best, you can say the acting was good. But whatever is said now turns into a controversy," he added.

Meanwhile, BJP workers waved black flags at the minister in protest during the inauguration of an air-conditioned waiting lounge at the KSRTC bus stand in Palakkad, arguing that a clean public toilet was a more urgent requirement than a luxury facility.