Malappuram: Misogynist remarks by Indian politicians are not uncommon. However, they do seem out of place when uttered by a leader of the CPI(M) that too in a state like Kerala, considered one of the most progressive in the country.
Sayed Ali Majeed, who won a seat in the recently concluded municipal elections by 47 votes, created a furore by saying that the only role of women in society is to stay at home, make love and have children.
Majeed was addressing hundreds of party workers, including women, on Sunday evening, as reported by NDTV.
Majeed is said to have first targeted the Muslim League for fielding women candidates in the local body poll. He accused the party of ‘using women for votes’ and said: “They displayed women to win votes…”, even as the audience cheered.
Majeed next turned to women in his own party.
“…we also have married women at home… but not to show them off to win votes. Let them sit at home… marry women to sleep with and make kids,” he allegedly said.
“That is why families traditionally verify lineage and background while arranging marriages…,” Majeed is said to have added.
It now seems that the setback suffered by the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the civic polls is due to leaders like Majeed. Assembly elections are due in the state next year.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) – swept to victory in four of six municipal corporations, retaining control of the Kannur body and flipping two others – Kochi and Kollam – that were previously held by the LDF.
To make matters worse for the LDF, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which has historically lacked any traction in the state, won the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, which is represented in the Lok Sabha by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
The Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation was considered a Left bastion. In the outgoing 100-member corporation, the CPI(M) had 51 seats, the BJP-led NDA 35 and the UDF 10. In the recent elections, with the seats now 101, the NDA won 50 seats, the LDF 29, and the UDF 19, with the remaining two going to Independents.
