The name of only one woman has figured in the first list of 16 Congress candidates for the Lok Sabha polls from Kerala. The list was released recently.
The under representation of women has irked AICC spokesperson Shama Mohamed in no small measure.
"Women comprise 51 per cent of the population in Kerala. The leaders should have given women their due importance while finalising the candidates," Shama Mohamed was quoted as saying by Onmanorama on Saturday.
She also pointed out that the lone woman who has been fielded by the party, Ramya Haridas, was lucky since Alathur from where she is contesting is a reserved seat. Otherwise, she too would have been dropped, Shama Mohamed added.
She pointed out that Rahul Gandhi has been calling for more representation of women in politics and therefore leaders in Kerala should listen to him.
Following this, state Congress leader and party candidate for Kannur Lok Sabha constituency K Sudhakaran has remarked that Shama Mohamed is a "nobody" in the party.
Shama Mohamed responded by prominently displaying her picture on the list of party spokespersons on Facebook. The issue is snowballing into a controversy. But where is Rahul Gandhi amidst all this and what does he have to say?