Suryanelli gangrape: Vayalar Ravi loses cool; is Congress trying hard to defend PJ Kurien?

New Delhi: Just as the Congress party prepares to defend Rajya Sabha MP PJ Kurien in the Suryanelli gangrape case, it faced yet another embarrassment in Kerala. This time around, it was Union Minister Vayalar Ravi who made some sexist comments to a female journalist. When she asked him about Kurien, Ravi's response was shocking. In the video, he was seen asking the reporter if something had happened between both of them in the past.

The Overseas Affairs Minister was quick to say sorry. Even the Congress leadership at the Centre has backed him. "I am sorry, I am apologising through you as a medium... I have done it, I am sorry, it's been done, what else can I do now?" Ravi said. Congress leader Manish Tewari said, "He has apologised. Let us leave it at that."

The Opposition, however, has demanded a public apology from Ravi. "If he has insulted the journalist, he must openly apologise. No one has the right to insult anybody," said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.

The state government in its bid to defend PJ Kurien has tabled three legal opinions in the house.

The state government in its bid to defend PJ Kurien has tabled three legal opinions in the house. But the Vayalar Ravi-episode shows that emotions are high in the faction-ridden Kerala congress.

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