‘I heard her younger sister loves beef, Diya’s culture are what she learned from home’

KOCHI: Congress MP Hibi Eden stepped forward criticizing Diya Krishna for supporting influencer Amrit Singh Darren for his communal remarks about Kochi. He said Darren’s comments were part of a North Indian lobby’s campaign against Kerala and described Fort Kochi as a place of religious harmony. Eden also said that Diya Krishna’s support for Darren reflected the culture she had learned at home.

‘She comes from a BJP family. Everything begins at home. The culture one learns at home and the thoughts one grows up hearing are likely to have influenced her. Let her defend and promote her ideology if she wishes. However, this is part of a major attack on Kerala by a North Indian lobby. We Malayalees must oppose it and build a strong resistance against it. Mattancherry and Fort Kochi are cultural centres of harmony where people from different communities live together.

I have seen an interview in which someone mentioned that her younger sister loves beef. Even prominent BJP leaders are fond of beef. I hope that if they are served beef prepared in Kerala’s distinctive style and taste it, their concerns and opinions might change.

The firm featuring an image of Jinnah that they were referring to is an art café. Citing an example, Eden pointed out that when Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bombay High Court museum in 2015, the largest portrait displayed there was that of Jinnah.

He could have avoided it if he had wanted to. Criticizing the display of an artist’s work for its artistic value or of photographs documenting historical events as part of an exhibition is childish,’ said Hibi Eden.