Various tribal organisations have reacted strongly against the remarks made by Minister for Rural Development K C Joseph that the infant deaths in Attappady was a result of consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.
The Rural Development minister’s statement came just after Chief Minister Oommen Chandy attributed the cases of malnutrition in the locality to the residents’ eating habits.
“It’s utter nonsense and we strongly condemn it. Being a responsible person, he should have avoided that comment. The minister should apologise to the entire tribal population in Kerala,” said K C Kunhiraman, former MLA and state president of the Adivasi Kshema Samithi (AKS).