Muslim cleric’s ‘women should stay home’ remark draws Kerala CM’s ire

Kerala chief minister VD Satheesan rejected cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar’s call for restricting women’s public participation. Satheesan asserted that women must join the mainstream, stating that such views are unsuitable for developing Kerala. Labour Minister Bindu Krishna also criticised the cleric’s remarks, calling them regressive for women’s rights. Aboobacker defended directives limiting women’s presence at religious events, citing Quranic interpretations.