Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA V. Muraleedharan has drawn flak after a video of him dropping toffees on students’ desks at a Pravesanotsavam (school reopening) function in Kerala went viral.

The incident occurred at Dr. Ambedkar Memorial Model Residential Higher Secondary School, Kattela.

In the video, the MLA was seen dropping toffees from a cover on to desks instead of handing them over to students.

The incident drew swift reactions from a host of people, including former State Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty.

Sivankutty seeks apology

Terming the Kazhakuttam MLA’s actions “discriminatory and shameful”, Mr. Sivankutty demanded that the former tender an apology.

He questioned how Mr. Muraleedharan could behave in such a manner with students in an institution where children from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Communities studied. “It was an affront to students’ dignity and would leave a lasting impact on their psyche,” Mr. Sivankutty said, adding that such discrimination towards students from marginalised sections could not be forgotten.

Former Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George too reacted with the question ‘Ithaa Puthuyugam?’ (Is this the new age?).

In a Facebook post, she said the incident was deplorable. “It was criminal that those responsible for protection of rights did not find anything unnatural in it and that they were keeping mum,” she said.

Mr. Muraleedharan, in a Facebook post, said he had bought the toffees for the students. However, as Minister for Development of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes K.A. Thulasi too had arrived at the time, he distributed the toffees to students at each table collectively to avoid delaying her. This was being given the colour of caste bias by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The CPI(M) was trying to poison the minds of even children, he alleged.

The MLA added that he did not have to learn about culture from Mr. Sivankutty who was one of the accused in the Assembly ruckus case.