Thrissur (Kerala), Nov 9 — BJP's Kerala state Vice President B. Gopalakrishnan on Monday came out in defence of Malayalam superstar Mammootty, who has faced criticism on social media over his visit to his house to bless his daughter and son-in-law.
Gopalakrishnan said there was no reason to view the visit through a political lens.
He said he was extremely happy that Mammootty had taken the trouble to visit his house after missing the wedding.
"Love and friendship are much bigger than politics. That is why Mammootty came. Several senior political leaders also attended my daughter's wedding. Some divisive forces do not want Kerala to remain united and are trying to destroy such friendships. This should be taken as an example," he said.
Mammootty visited Gopalakrishnan's house at Cheroor in Thrissur on Sunday.
He had promised to attend the wedding of Gopalakrishnan's daughter Anagha and Anjith at Guruvayur on November 1 but could not make it.
The actor had set out from Ernakulam for the wedding but had to turn back after getting caught in heavy traffic on the Aluva bridge. He later decided to visit the newlyweds personally.
Mammootty reached the house at 5.25 p.m. and spent nearly an hour there before leaving at 6.20 p.m.
Film producer Anto Joseph accompanied him.
The actor had coffee and sweet potato and interacted with members of the family.
Gopalakrishnan later shared photographs and videos of the visit on social media.
Gopalakrishnan said former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Congress leader and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had attended the wedding after being personally invited by him.
Former minister R. Bindu, who could not attend the function, had also visited his house later.
"I am a BJP worker, but politics is different from personal relationships. They are all my friends. There are no boundaries to love and friendship," he said.
He criticised those attacking Mammootty on social media and said such attacks reflected their pettiness.
He claimed that those behind the campaign were not genuine CPI-M workers.
He also questioned why Mammootty's visit alone was being made controversial when several political leaders had attended the wedding.
He said the visit was not a secret one and urged people to stop politicising a family occasion.
Gopalakrishnan said Kerala needed more such friendships across political lines and that personal relationships should not be sacrificed to political differences.