Overview
- IUML state general secretary P. M. A. Salam told a Vazhakkad meeting that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan “doesn’t belong to either gender,” drawing widespread condemnation.
- Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty called the remark despicable and urged the IUML leadership to secure an apology from Salam.
- IUML state president Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said personal insults violate party norms, as senior leader P. K. Kunhalikutty termed the comment a slip of the tongue.
- Salam tied his attack to the Centre’s PM SHRI scheme, alleging the policy promotes a Hindutva ideology and distorts history while sidelining some languages.
- The state had already frozen its PM SHRI MoU following CPI objections, and Salam had not apologised or withdrawn his words as of the latest reports.