Culture Minister V.N. Vasavan said in the Assembly on Tuesday that the government will discourage celebrities from becoming brand ambassadors of online rummy and betting portals.
He was responding to a demand by K.B. Ganesh Kumar, MLA, who raised concerns about the increasing number of suicides of those who suffered financial losses while using such applications. The actor-politician blamed influential personalities from the entertainment industry as well as prominent sportspersons for the increasing incidences of youngsters falling victims to such platforms.
“While famous personalities such as Shah Rukh Khan and Virat Kohli have lent their star power for boosting the business of such emerging apps, we have been witnessing some artistes such Vijay Yesudas and Rimi Tomy follow suit without realising the detrimental effects such platforms have had on families,” said Mr. Ganesh Kumar.
Mr. Vasavan highlighted the government’s inability to rein in such practices through legal means. “We can only seek their support towards our efforts to sensitise the public against such applications. Change can happen only when a cultural revolution takes place in the minds of such influential personalities,” he said.
The Minister also lashed out at alleged attempts made by various quarters to confine participation in sports and cultural festivals among people of certain religion and caste. The government will adopt stringent steps against such divisive measures that go against the Constitution and Kerala’s secular values, he said.
He was responding to an allegation levelled by Thrikaripur MLA M. Rajagopalan (Communist Party of India) against a club in Manjeswaram that purportedly restricted participation in a sports festival among Hindus.
