'They claim that they are fighting for freedom of expression, but if you criticize them you're finished'; VD Satheesan reacts to movie ad controversy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition Leader VD Satheesan said that there is ambiguity in the new government order related to the buffer zone. "If the government goes ahead with this order, it won't be able to achieve the objective of excluding populated areas from the buffer zone. Therefore, the order issued by the government on October 31, 2019, should be cancelled," Satheesan said. He told the media in Thiruvananthapuram that the government is stubborn and has a sense of inferiority.

"The new order should mention that the old order is cancelled. The government is still standing by the 2019 order. The new order is like an essay to justify the error of the old order without admitting the error. The opposition is warning that if the order is not clarified, the government will face a backlash from the Supreme Court. We are welcoming the decision to convene a special legislative session to introduce the lapsed ordinances as bills. The amendment to the Lokayukta Act is unconstitutional. The Opposition will oppose the move to make the Lokayukta a toothless system." Satheesan said.

"The position of the Public Works Minister is that the opposition should remain silent regarding the potholes on the roads. The opposition says that potholes should be closed and there should be no accidents. What politics is in that? The Minister is not agreeing that there are potholes on the roads despite the media and social media saying with proof. The movie ad on the front page of Deshabhimani newspaper says, 'There will be potholes on the way to the theatre, but don't stay away from watching the movie.' However, there is a call in cyberspace not to watch the movie. They claim that they are fighting for freedom of expression, but if you criticize them, you're finished. This is their attitude. The cyber attack on the movie is the latest example of this. If you spread the word to boycott the movie, more people will watch the movie," Satheesan added.