Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3 (TIWN) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has come out strongly against the Kerala government's decision to conduct the 25th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in different venues other than Thiruvananthapuram.

Many, including MP Shashi Tharoor, MLA K.S.Sabarinadhan as well as some capital-based social media groups have alleged that this is part of an attempt to eventually move the festival out of Thiruvananthapuram, even though the Academy as well as Culture Minister A.K. Balan have categorically stated that the capital would continue to be the permanent venue of the festival and that this is a stop-gap arrangement considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation.  In his post, Mr.Tharoor said, "This is deplorable. Thiruvananthapuram offers IFFK not just a great venue, but tradition, facilities and above all a passionate population of knowledgeable cinephiles".