Congress leader says ‘Woman with self-respect will kill herself after rape’; apologizes after outrage

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress party Kerala president Mullapalli Ramachandran got into a controversy after he made remarks on rape victims. However, after criticism from all levels, he has apologized. Ramachandran called the women who accused several leaders and ministers of the Congress-led UDF government in the state of rape ‘prostitutes’. He did not stop there, saying that any self-respecting woman would kill herself after being raped.

‘Putting a prostitute behind the scenes by decorating her and telling her stories to the world shows the frustration of the opponents. It will not be useful. Once a woman is raped, anyone can understand that. But, if the same woman starts saying the same thing over and over again… any self-respecting woman will either kill herself after rape or try to avoid sexual harassment second time,’ said Muktaphalam Mullapalli Ramachandran.

‘The Chief Minister should not think that he can escape by fabricating any stories and putting prostitutes forward on the field against UDF leaders.’

Ramachandran had targeted a woman involved in a solar panel scam in the state in 2013. The woman had recently accused a Congress leader of sexual harassment. The woman was also accused of cheating business people and NRIs by claiming links with high-ranking people in the then Oman Chandy government. In the same case, the woman told police last Saturday that Congress leader and former minister AP Anil Kumar had raped her several times in 2013.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Women’s Commission has also filed a case against Ramachandran. ‘Repeated statements by leaders insult Kerala. These statements should be condemned. It will not be enough to just apologize,” said MC Josephine, chairperson of the Women’s Commission. Health and Social Justice Minister KK Shailja also listened to Ramachandran’s statement. ‘Only people with a dangerous mindset can make such statements. Rape victims who do not commit suicide have no self-esteem? What exactly does Ramachandran’s statement mean? It is not appropriate for leaders to make such statements over and over again,  he said.

However, after his statement, Ramachandran was criticized a lot. After this, however, taking a step back, my comment is said to be anti-woman. I apologize for this without any conditions’, says Ramachandran admitting his mistake.