Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday condemned the UDF leader’s remarks against Kayamkulam MLA U Prathibha, calling it “misogynistic and insulting”. IUML leader A Irshad, who made the remarks at an election campaign ahead of the April 9 polls, alleged that Pratibha had “sold” her eloquence and beauty for a third victory and accused her of not working for the people.
“Now she is once again selling her eloquence and beauty to win over voters,” Irashad claimed.Vijayan said using derogatory terms against a woman because she was a public representative showed a “breakdown in political culture”. He said in a statement that such “character assassination” was used because the opposition was politically unable to counter the development work being done in the constituency. He added that the comments were not just directed at one person but were an insult to all women in public life, and said the opposition was wrong if it thought it could win votes by insulting women rather than discussing real issues.Pratibha, meanwhile, said she would take legal action after informing the Election Commission. She said she was shocked by the comments, which she called “beyond a character assassination”“During elections, people look at the hearts and minds of candidates rather than their bodies. I dedicated my heart and energy to Kayamkulam and worked hard for it. The mentality that women are just bodies is wrong. It is a shameful statement,” she said.Pratibha became emotional during an interview with a TV channel and a subsequent press conference in Kayamkulam and questioned how the leader of a major political front could make such remarks. “The news I heard hurt me deeply,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
