With Josephine gone, what about Rahim?

Thiruvananthapuram, June 26 The ruling second Pinarayi Vijayan government suffered a rude jolt early this week after a curt remark by M.C. Josephine, the chairperson of the Kerala Women's Commission, led to widespread protests and even her party-CPI-M failed to protect her and she was forced to put in her papers. Soon after, the party top brass met on Friday, but the major point of discussion was the statement of the state president of the youth wing (DYFI) of the CPI-M, A.A. Rahim.

Rahim is a hugely popular face on Malayalam TV channels and is the front line defence of the party whenever it's taken on by the Congress led UDF and the BJP.

When the CPI-M leadership was discussing the flare up over Josephine's remark, Rahim's statement created another jolt for the CPI-M when he said that since Josephine has apologised for her remarks, there was no need for her to resign.

No sooner had Rahim's defence for Josephine made headlines, came the news that Josephine has been asked to put in her papers and this left not just Rahim caught on the wrong foot, but also the CPI-M in bad light.

A media critic on condition of anonymity said this is the double standard of the CPI-M and its feeder organisation.

"Just look at the position taken by the youth wing of the second biggest ally of the ruling Left - the AIYF of the CPI. Right from the start when the issue of Josephine surfaced, they were strongly against her and the way she has been behaving. Take a look at what the DYFI, was doing, had it been a Congress leader or a BJP leader who had made such a remark sitting in a responsible position, the DYFI would have been out on the streets and would have gone to any extent to create ruckus. Rahim probably got it wrong and he thought Josephine would be allowed to continue," said the media critic.

Josephine ran into trouble at a time when the state was witnessing a spate of suicides by young married women in the name of dowry.

In a TV channel organised phone-in programme, Josephine, responding to a woman who had called to complain about the harassment that she has been facing at her husband's home, but added that she had not given a police complaint, said: "If you have not done (that), then you continue to suffer."

In the one to one talk between Josephine and the hapless woman, Josephine behaved in a "very rude and curt manner, where she was seen expressing her displeasure all through the talk" and at the end, the caller disconnected.

The entire opposition, both the Congress and the BJP, criticised Josephine and even took to the streets demanding her removal.

With Josephine and Rahim running into trouble, the social media is flooded with trolls and reports that four sitting legislators in the Kerala Assembly had faced cases of domestic violence.

Meanwhile ever since the issue of Josephine surfaced, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has not appeared before the media for his customary Covid media briefing.

And now with Josephine gone, all eyes are on Rahim now, as he has become a subject of ridicule.

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