When BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former Kerala State BJP President, V Muraleedharan posted a status on Facebook condemning actors’ body AMMA's decision to take back rape-accused Dileep, what he would have expected are comments in solidarity. Instead, the BJP leader’s post received massive backlash, and surprisingly from his own party members and supporters, who are angry at his silence in another case.
Muraleedharan on Wednesday put up a Facebook post in support of the four Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) members who resigned from AMMA two days ago over the reinstatement of Dileep, an accused in the rape and abduction case of an actress.
The leader uploaded a picture with the caption, “Avalkoppam” (with her).
“What is happening in AMMA is a challenge to the democratic values of a Malayali,” Muraleedharan said in the post. He added, “as the head of AMMA, Mohanlal should take the initiative to maintain the democratic behaviour of the organization.”
Over the past 24 hours, his post has been flooded with comments from users asking him why he had made no comments about party leader Lasitha Palakkal, against whom sexually inappropriate remarks were made by actor Sabu.
A Facebook user commented saying, “I pity you for this opinion of yours. When one of your own party members were subjected to sexually inappropriate comments on social media, you never spoke out and now you are supporting some random film actors.”
“First, you try and get justice for your own party woman, then go and support others,” said another user.
Lasitha, too, commented on the post, saying: “Maybe it’s because I’m just a normal woman and not a film star.”
Some of the comments on V Muraleedharan's post. ( first comment - Lasitha Palakkal)
Some comments were also diverted to BJP National President Amit Shah’s Facebook profile. Shah on Wednesday had posted pictures from an event that he attended in West Bengal and many users posted comments demanding justice for Lasitha and criticizing V Muraleedharan for his post.
"In Kerala, it is not the Congress, CPM or SDPI that is preventing the BJP from growing, but it is their own leaders," read a comment on a post on Shah's profile.
“Dear Amit Shah ji, If you don’t throw away leaders like V. Muraleedharan, Krishnadas PK from the party, Kerala BJP will never survive,” read one of the comments.
"Sir, please do something for our Kerala BJP also, here state BJP leaders playing only group politics. If Kerala BJP working like this even party workers will not cast their votes to BJP. So please take necessary action from your side," complained a Facebook user.
Comments on Amit Shah's post.
A few hours after Muraleedharan’s post, former BJP state presidents PS Sreedharan Pillai and Krishnadas PK put out posts supporting Lasitha. However, they too were criticised on social media for their ‘delayed reaction.’
BJP leader Lasitha Palakkal had filed a police complaint against actor and television presenter, Sabumon, accused of making sexually inappropriate remarks against her. Sabu is also one of the contestants of the Mohanlal hosted television reality show, Big Boss.
Sabu made an appearance on television just weeks after Lasitha – who was in June removed as the secretary of Yuva Morcha – filed a police complaint against him. The police have not summoned him yet for questioning.