Former Congress party and PSC member Simi Rose Bell John was expelled from the party on Sunday due to her alleged derogatory remarks about women leaders. The decision was announced by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) General Secretary M Liju, who stated that John’s accusations aimed to mentally harass and defame the party’s women leaders and workers, allegedly in coordination with political opponents.
Simi Rose Bell John had claimed that several women within the Congress faced exploitative behavior from male leaders, similar to the ‘casting couch’ scenario in the film industry. She questioned the qualifications of many women leaders and suggested their promotions should be assessed based on their political achievements and work in KSU and Mahila Congress.
The expulsion followed requests from women leaders across the party for action against John. In a news conference in Kochi, John criticized Congress LoP VD Satheesan, stating, “Satheesan said that women who have dignity, pride, and dignity cannot work in this party. A person who struggled for the party for some time was expelled.”
John also challenged the party to provide evidence of her alleged conspiracy with the CPM party. KPCC President and Lok Sabha Member K Sudhakaran had previously labeled John’s allegations as baseless, promising an investigation into the matter following a complaint from the Mahila Congress.