Facing criticism, Kerala Congress chief apologises for controversial remark about rape

Facing backlash over his sexist remarks made during a speech in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, the President of the Congress's Kerala unit Mullapally Ramachandran has apologised saying that the controversy is being created with political intention.

"I was trying to say this government is engulfed by corruption and is looking at ways to get out of this. If my statement was interpreted as against any specific person, I sincerely regret this," he said.

Ramachandran added that if a controversy is created, it is with political intentions.

"Some sections are trying to portray this as anti-women. It is not like that. Even after I said I regret this, if a controversy is created, it is with political intention," he said.

On Sunday, Ramachandran had said that a woman with self-respect will die if she is raped.

“A woman with self-respect will die if she is raped or else try not to be sexually assaulted again. But every day she is telling she is raped by someone," Ramachandran was heard saying.

However, he apologised for his statement saying that it was not his intention. 

“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,” Mullappally Ramachandran said.

The apology came shortly after Ramachandran was slammed by Health Minister KK Shailaja of making anti-women statements earlier as well. 

"He spoke as if to say that if a woman is raped she should commit suicide. This is shameful. Rape doesn't happen because women don't take care. It is because of a social psyche. Regret itself is not enough. There have been similar statements by him," Shailaja said.