THIRUVNANTHAPURAM: Congress’s Kerala unit president K Sudhakaran expelled Sunday former AICC member Simi Rosebell John following her allegations about a “casting couch” culture within the party. The expulsion came after John accused the party of fostering an environment where women had to endure exploitation to advance, likening it to the alleged practices in the film industry during an interview with a private TV channel the previous day.
Kerala PCC responded by expelling John from the party’s primary membership. The party viewed her remarks as an insult to its women functionaries. KPCC claimed John’s interview was an attempt to defame the party’s women functionaries and workers with the help of “political enemies”.
The decision to expel John was made after women functionaries, including members of KPCC’s political affairs committee, office bearers, and Mahila Congress state president, filed a complaint with Sudhakaran and AICC general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi. They accused John of acting as a tool for “political enemies” and “insulting womanhood” after gaining power and benefits from Congress in a short period.
John from Ernakulam alleged that women often had to “impress” men in the party to secure important positions and roles, often bypassing the need for talent and experience. She further accused several Congress functionaries, including opposition leader VD Satheesan, of sexual harassment. Satheesan dismissed the allegation as “false”.
The controversy coincided with similar accusations that the Malayalam film industry is grappling with following last week’s partial release of the Justice K Hema committee report and a wave of #MeToo allegations. The committee, which investigated allegations of exploitation and rights violations of women in the industry, had documented widespread sexual harassment on movie sets, during auditions, and a prevalent “casting couch” culture.