Renowned Malayalam writer, literary critic, and educationist, M Leelavathy, is facing a wave of online abuse after expressing grief over the suffering of children in Gaza. The controversy began on September 13, after the 98-year-old writer told the media that she was unable to eat knowing that children in Gaza were starving. Soon after, a section of the right-wing began accusing her of selectively highlighting tragedies while ignoring others. Several Sangh Parivar activists and a right-wing Christian organisation, CASA (Christian Association & Alliance for Social Action), have been among those leading the online criticism.
In a Facebook post, CASA questioned her silence on other tragedies, asking, “Lady, in your own country, when 27 innocent people who reached Kashmir as tourists were killed by lifting their clothes and shooting them on grounds of religion, why did you not have a problem?”
Responding to the backlash on September 16, Leelavathy said, “Starving kids belonging to any country, any caste, or any religion are all the same to me. That’s all I said. There is no other politics behind this. I see these kids from the point of view of a mother.”
She also recalled that in 2019 she had limited her Onam meal to porridge because children in Wayanad were starving at the time. “People are free to disagree with me. I have nothing against them. This is not the first time I’ve faced objections, my life itself began with that,” she added.
Several prominent voices have spoken in her support. Eminent writer C Radhakrishnan told Manorama News, “This should have never happened. A mother saying she cannot eat when her child is starving is not a small thing.” Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty also condemned the cyberattacks, writing on Facebook that it was the duty of Malayalis to respect and protect a figure like Leelavathy.