Kerala Congress expels Simi Rosebell John over remarks alleging exploitation of women leaders in party

Kerala Congress leader Simi Rosebell John, who recently alleged that women leaders in the party need patronage from senior figures to advance, has been expelled from the party. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) announced the disciplinary action on Sunday, saying Simi’s conduct was considered a serious breach of discipline.

According to a statement issued by KPCC, Simi’s allegations were seen as an attempt to defame and mentally intimidate the party’s women leaders and workers. The statement highlighted that several women leaders of the KPCC political affairs committee, women functionaries of the PCC and the Mahila Congress chief had jointly demanded action against Simi.

This led to Congress’s Kerala unit president K Sudhakaran taking action against her, as confirmed by KPCC general secretary M Liju, news agency PTI reported.

Simi told a regional news channel that women members were often exploited to gain opportunities within the grand old party, India Today reported.

She also accused several Congress leaders of sexual harassment, including Opposition leader VD Satheesan. She alleged that women could only gain important positions by ‘impressing’ male leaders, often sidelining talent and experience.

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Women with Self-Respect Can’t Run for Congress: Simi Rosebell John

Reacting to her expulsion, Simi aired her grievances at a press conference in Kochi. Criticising the Congress party, she alleged, “Recently, a person who worked for this party for a long time was expelled. The reason given was that this person was in collusion with CPI(M), but there is no proof. If they have it, they should make it public. Mahila Congress state president Lathika Subash shared her pain with me… she was also expelled; you can guess the reason. K Karunakaran’s daughter Padmaja Venugopal was also insulted and expelled; she even posted about it… in this party, women with self-respect cannot work… I was also expelled from the party…”

“The only mistake I made was that I became the voice of women here… if I conspired with CPI(M), they should prove it. They tried to trample on a helpless widow like me… VD Satheesan is not afraid of anyone… so many people who were with me are now in other positions. I am now afraid to go on the road; anything can happen to me,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying.

Earlier, KPCC chairman and Lok Sabha member K Sudhakaran defended the party’s decision and termed Simi’s allegations baseless. He said, “Mahila Congress has filed a complaint against the allegations of Simi Rosebell John. Simi made derogatory remarks against the leaders. Her allegations are baseless. KPCC will look into the complaint filed by Mahila Congress.”

The ruling party CPI(M) seized the opportunity to criticise the Congress, comparing the internal power struggle to that in the film industry.