Thiruvananthapuram, November 1: Mullappally Ramachandran, the chief of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), stoked a row with his controversial remark against a woman linked to the UDF-era alleged solar scam case. Ramachandran, while attempting to dismiss the credibility of the person's allegation, ended up saying that a woman with self-respect "would die after being raped". Rahul Gandhi Condemns Kamal Nath’s 'Item' Comment, Says ‘Unfortunate, Don’t Appreciate His Remarks'.

"No one can trust a woman like her (an accused in solar scam). If you (Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan) think you can get an adulteress to target us, people of the state won't believe it," he was reported as saying by news agency ANI.

"If someone says it happened once, it's understood, but she says everyone raped her. A woman with self-respect would end her life if raped or will try to prevent it from happening again," the KPCC chief added.

Ramachandran Later Apologises

After his remarks drew criticism, Ramachandran issued an unconditional apology. He claimed that his remarks were misinterpreted and portrayed as anti-women.

"If my remark has hurt anyone, I am offering my unconditional apology. There are campaigns by certain quarters to depict it as anti-women, which isn't true," he said.

The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) has demanded accountability from the Congress over his remarks. They have demanded the party to sack Ramachandran from his position as president of the KPCC.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 01, 2020 07:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).