THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran has yet again courted controversy for his anti-women comments. Speaking at a protest meeting to mark the UDF ‘betrayal day’ in the state capital, the Congress leader said that if a rape victim has any self-esteem she will either die by suicide or make sure that she is safe enough to never be in such circumstances. Referring to the solar case accused, Mullapally on Sunday he maintained that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cannot escape by bringing in a sex worker. “When the state government is in defense, Pinarayi should not think he can escape by bringing forward a sex worker and divert discussions to her. Either she will kill herself or will at least ensure that it is not repeated,” said Mullapally.
Speaking in front of the Secretariat on Kerala formation day, within minutes he realised that his comments had snowballed into a major controversy and apologised before the same crowd. “My outburst was against the LDF Government and it was not my intention to hurt women’s sentiments. I am honestly apologizing for my defamatory comments,” said Mullapally.His remarks have met with sharp criticism after Kerala Women’s Commission chairperson MC Josephine and state health minister K K Shailaja expressed their displeasure.
It may be recalled that this is not the first time when the KPCC chief has stirred a hornet’s nest with these anti-women remarks. Earlier this year, he had termed the health minister as ‘COVID Rani’ and even went on to call her ‘Nipah Rajkumari’ inviting criticism from all. Meanwhile, MC Josephine said that the Kerala Women’s Commission would take action against the KPCC president. “Mullapally’s comments cannot be tolerated. Rape is the most extreme form of attack a man can do to a woman and is highly condemnable. I vehemently disagree with the comments made by Mullapally. I also urge all the leaders to refrain from making such derogatory comments against women”, Josephine said.Senior Congress MLA Shanimol Usman also termed the latest controversy as unfortunate.
