Bharatiya Janata Party state president K Surendran has found himself in a spot after his derogatory comments against CPI(M) women leaders in Kerala. Surendran came out with an explanation on Wednesday, March 30 stating that his comment was a general one against the women leaders of the Communist Marxist Party of India (Marxist) and not against a particular individual. CPI(M) leads the ruling Left Democratic Front in the state.
Meanwhile, CS Sujatha, state secretary of the Janadhipathya Mahila Association, has lodged a complaint against Surendran at the Cantonment police station Thiruvananthapuram. Based on the complaint, Cantonment police have booked Surendran under sections 354 A (1) for making sexually coloured remarks against women and 509 for using word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman of the Indian Penal Code. Sukanya Baiju, state committee member of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, the youth wing of the CPI(M), filed a complaint against Surendran at Thrissur East police station.
Surendran, while attending a gathering in Thrissur on Tuesday, had said that the women leaders of CPI(M) became overweight by looting money. He said they became Poothanas (Poothana is a scary mythological character). "Women leaders of the Communist Party have become fat by looting money" and “after becoming fat like Poothana, they are insulting the women of Kerala,” he said.
He further said, “The rice is given by Modi (Prime Minister Modi), so is the sugar, papaddam and gram. Only the bag was provided by Pinarayi Vijayan (the Kerala Chief Minister) and then it is claimed that the kit (grocery kit the Left government used to distribute through ration shops) was given by Pinarayi. Such is the politics in Kerala."
Opposition Leader VD Satheesan of the Congress on Tuesday asked why no CPI(M) leaders have reacted against Surendran's comments. Satheesan added that the comments were derogatory and that he insulted women like no other political leader has ever done. He demanded Surendran to withdraw the statement and to apologise.
Surendran, however, in a press meet in Kozhikode on Wednesday said that his comments were a general statement against the women leaders of the CPI(M) who vowed to work for women empowerment but engaged in corruption. "That was not targeting a particular individual. For VD Satheesan, it (criticising him apparently) was just a way to get closer with the CPI(M)," Surendran alleged. Meanwhile, the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking action against Surendran. NFIW is the women’s wing of the CPI(M).
Aruna Roy, president and Annie Raja, general secretary of the NFIW have sought action against Surendran ‘for making insulting comments against CPI(M) women.’
NFIW “views these comments which are sexually coloured, aimed at body shaming and insulting the modesty of women, as an attack not only on those who belong to any particular political party, but the entire country. We deplore Mr Surendran's anti-women comments. We have no doubt that Mr Surendran's words will tarnish the image and prestige of our country which is going to host the G20 Summit in a few months from now,” the letter further stated.