THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM State Secretary MV Govindan on Friday said that singer KS Chitra is a national asset. "Chithra should not be put into any category, and if she said something critically, one can disagree with it. It is not right to hound her for expressing an opinion," Govindan said in a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram. Govindan clarified that he has the same stand in Chithra's case as the one he took when actress Shobana participated in a BJP event.

"Chithra is a genius who has given countless songs that the world listens to. The CPM does not agree with her being objected to because she expressed an opinion. Shobana is an important Indian actress and dancer. They are the national asset of this country. Everyone has the right to criticize their positions. Aren't Mohanlal, Mammootty and others the giants of the film industry that we love? If we take the literary field, T Padmanabhan, MT, Mukundan, all of them should not be put down because their stand as they should be seen as an asset of our country. The party's position is the same on the issue of Chithra. But more than that, all of them should be seen as prominent talents of the country," Govindan added.