Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s Remarks Mocking Opposition MLA’s Height Sparks Row – Delhi News Daily

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (PTI file photo)

A political slugfest broke out over Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s remarks mocking the short stature of an opposition MLA in the state assembly, with opposition leaders terming the comment as “body-shaming”.

The row triggered in the Assembly on Wednesday when the Chief Minister made the remarks shortly after the Opposition boycotted the proceedings, and dramatic scenes unfolded, news agency PTI reported.

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.

Vijayan, while referring to an MLA allegedly involved in the scuffle, said “someone who is not fully developed” to describe him, without naming the legislator. Vijayan used colloquial language to refer to the MLA’s short stature and linked it to his alleged unruly behaviour in the Assembly.

The Chief Minister also suggested that the MLA’s actions were not due to his own physical strength but because of the protection he enjoyed as an elected representative.

Kerala Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, condemned the remarks, terming them “body shaming.” Satheesan said by ridiculing the opposition MLA, Vijayan has “tarnished the dignity” of the Assembly and violated parliamentary propriety.

“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.

The Congress leader also wrote to Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer demanding that the comments be expunged from the official records.

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.”

He further claimed that the Chief Minister’s remark against the opposition MLA tarnished the dignity of the House and was contrary to parliamentary decorum.

The state Assembly has been witnessing fierce opposition protests over the Sabarimala gold-plating issue.

(With inputs from PTI)