Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader K.S. Hariharan has courted a controversy over a misogynistic remark he made against K.K. Shailaja, former Health Minister and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate in the Vadakara Lok Sabha segment, and actor Manju Warrier during an event at Vadakara in Kozhikode on Saturday evening.
While the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) on Sunday filed separate complaints against Mr. Hariharan with the police and the Kerala Women’s Commission, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] too is thinking of taking legal recourse.
The event was jointly organised by the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the RMP to highlight the alleged communal campaign by the CPI(M) in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. It was inaugurated by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan. Shafi Parambil, MLA, the UDF candidate from Vadakara; K.K. Rema, MLA; and senior leaders of the Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, and the RMP were among those who spoke at the event.
In the course of his speech, Mr. Hariharan made a disparaging remark about Ms. Shailaja and Ms. Warrier while referring to the allegations over a purported “obscene video” involving the LDF candidate. Soon, it snowballed into a controversy. Mr. Hariharan subsequently came up with a Facebook post offering unconditional apologies for the “inappropriate remark”, which he termed as a slip of the tongue.
Satheesan’s response
Mr. Parambil told the media on Sunday that Mr. Hariharan should have been careful while speaking about women in public sphere. Mr. Satheesan, while welcoming Mr. Hariharan’s apology, said that he had conveyed his criticism about the remark soon after the speech. He said that people in public life should be cautious while levelling political allegations. Ms. Rema too disowned Mr. Hariharan’s remark, saying the RMP did not endorse it.
The DYFI, however, claimed in its complaint to the police that the remark was aimed at creating divisions among various sections of society. The AIDWA said that Mr. Hariharan’s words reflected a perspective that viewed women as merely bodies. Mr. Hariharan, meanwhile, said that he was not afraid of police cases.
P. Mohanan, CPI(M) Kozhikode district secretary, told the media that a mere apology from Mr. Hariharan would not suffice. There were many who laughed and applauded when he made the remark. The CPI(M) leader asked why Mr. Satheesan did not object to it on the stage itself. Mr. Mohanan also alleged that Mr. Hariharan had mocked a senior leader of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulema too in the course of his speech. He also claimed that the UDF had tried to whip up communal sentiments during the Lok Sabha poll campaign in Vadakara.
