An allegedly misogynistic remark by Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader K.S. Hariharan targetting former Health Minister K.K. Shailaja at an Opposition rally in Kozhikode on Saturday has sent the United Democratic Front (UDF) leadership scurrying for political cover.
Mr. Hariharan’s seemingly impromptu use of allegedly “anti-feminist rhetoric, body-shaming imagery and misuse of a famous actor’s name as an offensive analogy” for political point-scoring has caught the Opposition alliance with its defences down.
The RMP leader’s “politically costly slip-up” occurred when he attempted to refute the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) accusation that the United Democratic Front (UDF) had fabricated a seamy video to sully Ms. Shailaja’s reputation and undermine her candidacy in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency.