A woman leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala’s Palakkad has filed a formal complaint against popular rapper and songwriter Hirandas Murali, better known by his stage name Vedan, accusing him of defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a song, PTI reported on Friday.
VS Minimol, a municipal councillor and chairperson of the development committee at Palakkad Municipality, has also accused the rapper of promoting caste-based division through his music.
In her complaint to the Union home ministry and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the BJP leader has alleged that one of Vedan’s songs contains defamatory remarks about Modi and uses inflammatory language aimed at “dividing the Hindu community along caste lines”.
“The artist has made unsubstantiated, disrespectful, and offensive remarks about the Prime Minister, which not only malign his personal and political image but also undermine the dignity of the highest constitutional office in the country,” Minimol said in the complaint, filed two days ago, reported PTI.
The complainant also pointed out that Vedan was arrested on April 28 related to a drug case in Tripunithura, near Kochi, and claimed that even though he is out on bail, the rapper still conducts large concerts with huge crowds, where he allegedly incites violence and hatred.
According to PTI, Minimol requested authorities to investigate the matter under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including defamation, promoting enmity between groups, and causing public mischief. She also called for the application of relevant provisions under the Information Technology Act.
No response from Vedan or his representatives has been reported so far to the allegations.
Rapper’s part conversy
The BJP leader’s complaint follows closely behind the ongoing criticism of Vedan by Hindu Aikyavedi leader KP Sasikala.
Speaking at an event in Palakkad on Wednesday, Sasikala had alleged that society was being humiliated by Vedan’s “improperly dressed antics” and said it was time to put a stop to them, according to PTI.
She had also questioned the relevance of rap music to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) community.
Vedan had responded by saying that Sasikala’s alleged casteist remarks were part of a broader attempt to portray him as “an extremist, a separatist, or a troublemaker.”
He also asserted that Sasikala’s remarks, which imply that rap music is unrelated to the SC/ST community, reflected an attitude among people like her who do not want members of such communities to pursue anything different.