Kerala Congress leader faces case over offensive comment

The State Women’s Commission chairperson MC Josephine stated that derogatory comments and remarks against women made by politicians were insulting to the state.

Thiruvananthapuram: The misogynist comment made by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, Mullappally Ramachandran was widely condemned. The KPCC president faced a backlash as Kerala State Women’s Commission voluntarily filed a case against him over his derogatory and disgusting remarks on women.

The State Women’s Commission chairperson M C Josephine had urged Mullappally Ramachandran to withdraw his statement and seek an apology for his misogynistic remarks against women.

Josephine said that it was an insult to culturally progressive Kerala that many politicians often come out with such derogatory comments and remarks against women. Speaking at the Congress-led UDF protest in front of the secretariat on November 1, Ramachandran said, that "If a rape victim has any self-esteem she will either die by suicide or ensure that she will not land in a similar situation anymore."

Read: 'Rape victim with self-esteem should end life', Kerala Congress chief

"No one can trust a woman like her (an accused in the solar scam). If you (Vijayan) think you can get an adulteress to target us, people of the state will not believe it," he said. "If someone says it happened once, it's understood, but she says everyone raped her. A woman with self-respect would end her life if raped or will try to prevent it from happening again," Ramachandran said.

This statement of the Congress leader, in the context of blaming the ruling Left Government for pursuing cases of sexual assault against many Congress leaders, had drawn flak from all quarters, cutting across political lines.

The Congress leader's remarks came amidst reports that the state police is likely to transfer to the Crime Branch sexual abuse complaints filed by an accused woman in the solar scam against several UDF leaders.

Soon after his remarks were met with sharp criticism, the KPCC chief offered an unconditional apology.

This is not the first time the KPCC chief landed in a controversy over misogynist remarks. Earlier, his remarks against state Health Minister KK Shailaja had sparked a row and had invited widespread protest. Mullappally Ramachandran had stated, in a Congress rally, that a woman with self- respect would die herself if she was sexually assaulted. She would at least try not to get assaulted again.

With inputs from ANI