Ker CM slams state Cong chief's jibe at health minister

Mullapally Ramachandran was suffering from "political cataract" and was unable to see the reality, Vijayan said, adding his remarks were an insult tothe state. The Chief Minister said playing politics with people's lives cannot be allowed.

As the state Congress chief stuck to his 'Covid Rani' jibe against health minister KK Shailaja and refused to apologise, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the remarks as 'anti-women' and an attempt to target one leading the battle against COVID-19. The Chief Minister said remarks by such leaders in responsible positions was unfortunate and that the health minister was being targeted for doing her duty.

The attempt by the KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran was to torpedo the health system in the midst of the pandemic, he told reporters here. "The attack against the minister was due to a peculiar mindset and was anti-women. It is regrettable that the KPCC president has stooped to such a level", Vijayan said.

He pointed out that no Congress leader in the state or in Delhi had so far reacted to the remarks. Mullapally Ramachandran was suffering from "political cataract" and was unable to see the reality, Vijayan said, adding his remarks were an insult to the state.

The Chief Minister said playing politics with people's lives cannot be allowed. "Do not play politics with the lives of people. Their lives are more important," he said.

Vijayan said the attack against the minister was only for getting plaudits from his followers and was regrettable. Ramachandran had on Friday alleged that Shailaja was trying to get the label of "COVID Rani" (COVID Queen).

He had also said that during the Nipah outbreak, Shailaja camped in Kozhikode as a 'guest artist' and tried to become the 'Nipah Rajakumari' (Nipah princess). The CPI(M) had slammed the remarks as sexist and demanded an unconditional apology from him.

"What I have said is right. I stand by my words and have not insulted anyone", Ramachandran told reporters, a day after his words kicked up a storm. "I am not going to apologise. Nothing doing", he said.

The former union minister said some words from his speech had been 'cherry-picked' by the media and a campaign was going on against him and asked what was wrong with his remarks. The Chief Minister also attacked Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Oommen Chandy for the party's stand on various issues, including the government's decision on making COVID-19 tests mandatory for those returning from abroad.

Chennithala had staged a fast in front of the Secretariat against the decision on Friday and no social distancing norms were followed during the day-long agitation, he said. The Chief Minister said that Congress had never sought any help from the centre for the state, but had always tried to malign its image, as evident from these remarks.

Coming down on Congress workers for taking out a protest march to the workplace of Sajeesh, husband of nurse Lini Puthussery, who died during the Nipah outbreak in 2018, Vijayan said Lini had sacrificed her life and she is honoured as a martyr not only in Kerala but by people all over the world. "When the minister is insulted and labelled as Nipah princess or Covid Queen, it is natural that the first response against it will come from Lini's family," Vijayan said.

"He does not even know her name. The whole state was with her family", he said. Sajeesh had told the media that it was the health minister who stood by them during the most difficult time his family faced following the death of his wife MullapalyRamachandran had never even cared to call the family, he had said.