Film stars keep away amidst widespread criticism

Leading stars Mohanlal and Kamal Haasan did not attend Kerala government's grand ceremony to declare the elimination of extreme poverty in the state, a first for the whole of India, as announced earlier.

- HD Bureau

While the change is attributed to personal and scheduling conflicts, their absence comes amid protests by health-workers and tribal rights groups who challenge the government’s claim. Actor Mammootty was on hand to lend his support to the event.

The decision to proceed without Mohanlal and Kamal Haasan occurred after letters of protest from grassroots organisations. The Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha described the announcement as a “political gimmick’ that masks ongoing landlessness, homelessness, unemployment, malnutrition and disease among tribal and Dalit communities. They challenge the government's categorisation that only 64,006 families are extremely poor, of which just 5 % are adivasis and 20 % Dalits.