"Last time (in 2019), there were two women candidates (from Kerala)," she said (File)
A woman Congress leader who voiced concern about insufficient female representation in the party's Lok Sabha candidate lineup in Kerala was called "a nobody" by state party chief K Sudhakaran on Sunday, who brusquely dismissed the issue of representation when it was brought up.
On Saturday, Congress National Spokesperson Shama Mohamed had expressed disappointment that the Congress party, which was the first to introduce the Women's Reservation Bill, fielded only one woman candidate from Kerala for the upcoming LS polls even after the legislation was recently passed in Parliament (but not been made operational yet).
When the media sought Mr Sudhakaran's reaction to Mohamed's statement, the state unit chief brushed off the issue, saying, "Go and ask her. She is a nobody in the party".
Ms Mohamed had said that Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has been calling for more women's representation in politics and requested party leaders in Kerala to listen to him.
"You should give representation to women. Last time (in 2019), there were two women candidates (from Kerala). But after passing of the Women Reservation Bill, there is only one this time. That is my greatest disappointment," she had said.
Her statement came a day after the Congress announced its 16 candidates from Kerala for the upcoming LS polls with Ramya Haridas, for Alathur constituency in Palakkad district, the only woman in the list.
Ms Mohamed's remarks also assume importance as Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of Congress stalwart and former Kerala CM K Karunakaran, defected to the BJP, alleging neglect by the grand old party.
The AICC national spokesperson said that she was not making a complaint, but was only requesting the party to give women more representation and claimed that women votes were going to other parties and that to get them back, the party needs to have more women candidates.
The BJP in its initial list of 12 candidates from Kerala has three women candidates and the LDF in its complete list of 20 nominees, has two women.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)