Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 4 (IANS) Refusing to back down despite mounting criticism, State Transport Minister, C.P. John, on Tuesday stood firmly by his controversial remarks on the government’s Priyadarshini free bus travel scheme for women, insisting that he was highlighting the poverty faced by many women and not questioning the welfare measure itself.
“There are women who do not have the financial means even to travel. The tragedy is that the political leadership, including myself, failed to understand their poverty. That was the point I was making,” John said, adding that his words had been taken out of context.
He maintained that he had never suggested that people in Kerala were merely pretending to be poor and said those criticising him should first have sought a clarification before fuelling the controversy.
The row erupted after the minister, while addressing the Kerala Bus Transport Association’s State conference, remarked that women were jostling to board loss-making KSRTC buses because travel had become free under the Priyadarshini scheme.
He also observed that many families, while availing themselves of free public transport, continued to spend heavily on private schooling and preferred government hospitals over private healthcare.
The remarks drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties and social media, with critics accusing the minister of being insensitive towards women and of making sweeping observations about the choices of ordinary families.
Supporters, however, argued that he was drawing attention to the economic distress that still exists despite Kerala’s impressive social indicators.
The controversy has also brought renewed attention to the remarkable political journey of C.P. John, one of Kerala’s most seasoned politicians.
In his student days, John was a fiery SFI leader and a prominent face of the CPI(M).
In 1986, he walked out of the party along with his political mentor M.V. Raghavan, then one of the CPI(M)’s tallest leaders, following ideological differences.
When Raghavan floated the Communist Marxist Party (CMP) and aligned it with the Congress-led United Democratic Front, John remained his closest political associate and emerged as one of the party’s principal organisers.
Since then, he has remained an integral part of the UDF, navigating Kerala’s shifting political landscape while retaining his identity as a forthright man who speaks frankly.
Electoral success, however, remained elusive for years.
After suffering two Assembly election defeats, John finally entered the Kerala Assembly this year by winning from one of the state’s most prestigious constituencies in the capital city, earning a berth in the V.D. Satheesan Cabinet.
His latest remarks have once again placed him at the centre of a political storm.
Whether the controversy fades or grows, it has underlined one constant that has marked John’s long political career, from his Left student activism to his present role as a UDF minister, his willingness to speak bluntly, even at the risk of inviting sharp criticism.
–IANS
sg/rad
