UDF lawmakers outraged modesty of Left women MLAs: Achuthanandan

Kerala's Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan on Monday led a delegation of five women legislators to Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam and complained that legislators of the Congress-led UDF outraged their modesty on the floor of the house on March 13.

Achuthanandan told reporters later that it was most unfortunate that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy accused the Left parties of having "used" the women legislators as a human shield while protesting in the assembly on March 13, the day Finance Minister K.M. Mani presented the state budget.

"Today, in the Congress the voice that is being heard is of Priyanka Gandhi. Also last week, we saw Sonia Gandhi leading a protest march from the front. Will the same word 'human shield' be used for them also," asked Achuthanandan.

Five women legislators of the Left Front -- Jameela Prakasham, E.S. Bijimol, Geetha Gopi, K.K. Lathika and K.S. Saleekha -- were in the forefront of the protest in the house on March 13.

They later claimed that they were molested by treasury bench legislators in the melee.

While Bijimol filed a police complaint last week, the other four registered their complaints with the police on Monday.

"I was touched with intent and I came under attack, and hence I gave a written complaint to police," Prakasham said in front of the state police headquarters on Monday.

Chandy, however, said it was "strange" that in the complaint given by the opposition on the day the alleged events occurred, there was no mention of any "harassment".

"We have openly challenged them that there are over 100 cameras that have taken visuals of the entire happenings. They are not seeing that and are instead raising this issue," Chandy told reporters.