Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Credit: PTI File Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s remarks on Wednesday mocking the short stature of an opposition MLA in the state assembly, invited sharp criticism from Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, who called it "body shaming".
The Congress leader wrote to Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer demanding that the comments be expunged from the official records. Satheesan said by ridiculing the opposition MLA, Vijayan has "tarnished the dignity" of the Assembly and violated parliamentary propriety.
The CM made the remarks in the Assembly shortly after the opposition members boycotted the proceedings following dramatic scenes in the House. During Question Hour, there was a scuffle between opposition MLAs and watch-and-ward staff, and shouting between ruling and opposition benches over the issue of "missing" gold from the dwarapalaka idols of the Sabarimala temple.
Referring to the opposition protest in the well of the House and their alleged scuffle with watch-and-ward staff, including women, the Chief Minister mocked the alleged action of an opposition MLA without naming him. Vijayan used colloquial language to refer to the MLA’s short stature and linked it to his alleged unruly behaviour in the Assembly.
He added that the MLA acted aggressively not because of his own physical strength, but by relying on the protection afforded to him as an MLA. LoP Satheesan hit out at the Chief Minister over his remarks. "That is a politically incorrect statement. It is body shaming. Calling them progressives is meaningless.
They ought to be living in 19th-century Spain," Satheesan told reporters outside the Assembly. Later, he wrote a letter to the Speaker claiming that the Chief Minister’s remark against the opposition MLA’s short stature and physical capacity tarnished the dignity of the House and was contrary to parliamentary decorum. In the letter, he quoted specific remarks made by the Chief Minister in the House.
According to him, Vijayan stated, "There is a common saying in my village: like something stacked up to eight and three-quarters 'atti' (a local measure). That is all the height he has. Yet he comes here and goes on the offensive. One can clearly see that his own physical strength is insufficient for that. But, making use of the protection afforded by being an MLA, he dares to attack the watch-and-ward staff -- even going so far as to be prepared to attack the female staff as well." The state Assembly has been witnessing fierce opposition protests over the Sabarimala gold-plating issue.