The controversial "that was her fate" remark made by a ruling CPI(M) legislator against a woman MLA continued to rock the Kerala Assembly for a second day on Friday, forcing speaker M B Rajesh to suspend the scheduled business and adjourn the House for the day.
M M Mani, who made the controversial remarks against RMP MLA K K Rema, remained defiant in the face of stiff protests from the Congress-led opposition, which demanded he withdraw his "cruel and insulting" utterance and apologise. Mani told media outside the House that he stood by his statement and did not have any regret in what he had said. The veteran, also a former minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government, said he could do nothing if the statement had hurt Rema, a first-time legislator and the widow of slain rebel leader T P Chandrasekharan.
A CPI(M) rebel, Chandrasekharan was hacked to death in May 2012 after he floated a parallel Left outfit called the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) in his home turf Onchiayam in north Kerala. "I still believe that what I said yesterday was right. I have no regret in what I have said. That's what I felt like saying then. She has been criticising the Chief Minister (Vijayan) and the LDF government in the House for the past one year and four months. We have not said anything against her so far," Mani said.
Claiming he had made no anti-women remarks as alleged by the opposition, Mani also said there is no special privilege or reservation for any legislator in the Kerala Assembly except for those holding positions like chief minister, Speaker or the Leader of Opposition. Mani, while participating in the House discussions on fund requests by the police on Thursday, had said Rema became a widow and that was her fate and the Marxist party had no role in the murder of her husband, triggering huge protests by the opposition UDF and its walkout.
When the House proceedings began on Friday, the Congress-led UDF members raised the issue alleging that Mani had insulted womanhood and he should withdraw his statement and tender an apology on the floor of the House.
They also raised placards and a banner which read "M M Mani who insulted womanhood should resign". However, justifying Mani, Law Minister P Rajeeve said what he had meant was that the ruling CPI(M) had no role in the murder of Rema's husband. Criticising the Opposition, he also said the same people who had termed the recent killing of a SFI activist as "a martyrdom that was asked for'' were now creating hue and cry in the Assembly.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesaan rejected the arguments of the ruling benches and said he was surprised to see how the CM and the LDF legislators were supporting and justifying Mani. Speaker Rajesh said the chair had limitations in intervening into the matter and the practice of the House was to check if there were any unparliamentary remarks made by any legislator and remove it later. Though he tried to commence the question hour session as per the scheduled business, the opposition members trooped into the well of the House raising slogans against Mani and the Left government.
As the protest intensified and the UDF members paid no heed to his repeated request for cooperation, the Speaker suspended the scheduled businesses and adjourned the House for the day.
The UDF members later staged a sit-in at the portal of the hall before marching out of the Assembly complex. Vehemently criticising Vijayan for justifying M M Mani's statement, Satheesan later charged that even after killing Chandrasekharan, the CPI (M) and the CM were hounding his widow Rema.
"Mani said she became a widow because of her fate. But, that vidhi (verdict) was implemented by the party (CPI-M) court," he alleged and lashed out at Vijayan over the episode. He further charged that the CPI(M) was a party which creates orphans and widows and was justifying even the derogatory remarks against a woman because of their arrogance of power. Rema said the intolerance of the ruling party members and the chief minister towards her was proof of their fear towards her husband even after his death.