Hema Committee report: CPI(M) central leaders unhappy over Pinarayi govt's decision to back accused MLA Mukesh

Brinda Karat referred to the Congress and accused it of sheltering the two party MLAs who are chargesheeted for rape. She also said a section of “deeply anti-communist media” is also supporting them.

New Delhi: CPI(M) central leadership has expressed its displeasure over the party Kerala leadership’s decision to ignore calls for resignation of rape accused actor-MLA M Mukesh citing cases of two Congress lawmakers, with senior leader Brinda Karat saying they need not follow someone else’s stance by indulging in “you did this and I did that” argument.

The remarks of the senior Polit Bureau member came in an article ‘Some Thoughts on the Hema Committee Report Aftermath’ posted on the official website of CPI(M) under the section ‘Our Take’. The article came as Kerala leader EP Jayarajan made it clear that they would not be seeking the CPIM) MLA’s resignation and they could do so if two accused Congress MLAs do so.

Sources indicated the central leadership is upset over the way the CPI(M)-led Kerala government is handling the fallout of the publication of the Justice Hema Committee report, which went deep into the systemic exploitation in the Malayalam film industry. After the release of the report, a young actress had accused Mukesh of sexual crime and an FIR was filed.

In her article, Brinda referred to the Congress and accused it of sheltering the two party MLAs who are chargesheeted for rape. She also said a section of “deeply anti-communist media” is also supporting them.

“The SIT (probing new complaints of sexual crime in Malayalam film industry) has filed cases, including of rape where such a charge has been made. A case has also been filed against CPI(M) MLA Mukesh. This shows the petty politics behind the Congress bogus accusations that the LDF government is protecting the accused,” she wrote.

“But we should not get into a diversionary – what is called in Hindi, a ‘tu-tu-main-main’ (you did this and I did that) sort of useless argument. The focus is and must be to provide a safe environment for women everywhere — and in the context of the Hema Committee Report — in the film industry,” she said in a veiled reference on demands for resignation.

She said women must have the confidence that the government and society are with them in their brave fight for justice and in addition to the protection of personal space and bodily integrity, this also means equal rights within the industry. This will require the participation of all stakeholders, she said.