The district secretariat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has officially denounced the stand of Mayor Beena Philip regarding her participation in an event organised by Balagokulam in Kozhikode on Sunday and some of the comments made there.
District secretary P. Mohanan, in an official statement, said the Mayor’s participation in the programme was not proper as it was organised by a feeder organisation of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Mayor’s stand in this matter was contrary to the party policy and hence could not be approved, the statement said. The statement was in response to a question posed by District Congress Committee president K. Praveen Kumar on whether the CPI(M) approved the Mayor’s comments.
Taking part in an event organised by a women’s collective under Balagokulam, Ms. Philip, a CPI(M)-appointed Mayor, had glorified several women characters in Indian mythology and had commented that children were treated well in north India as opposed to Kerala where the attitude towards children was rather strict and partial. The comment had sparked a controversy.
