Thiruvananthapuram/Thrissur, Nov 7 (PTI) The display of tribals at the Keraleeyam festival has sparked a controversy with Kerala Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes K Radhakrishnan saying that putting them in a 'showcase' gives a 'wrong message'.

The controversial exhibition at the Keraleeyam festival in Thiruvananthapuram displayed various tribal groups decked up in their traditional attire, living in huts and depicting their various arts and crafts and dance forms.

The minister, speaking to reporters at Thrissur, said that it was his personal view that the tribals should not have been put in a 'showcase' and a direction to that effect was given right at the beginning.

'We should not see them (tribals) as something to be displayed in a showcase. It gives out a wrong message. What happened here has to be enquired into and appropriate action needs to be taken,' he said.

Radhakrishnan said he has spoken to the Department of Culture and the Folklore Academy which organised the tribal exhibition called 'Adimam'.

Following the disapproval expressed by the minister, Folklore Academy said no adivasis were exhibited there as showpieces.

'We only displayed their various arts and how they used to live in the past,' it said.

The academy said if there has been any mistake, it would be rectified.

It also said that to its knowledge, there was no mistake. PTI HMP HMP SS