Actor-politician Surresh Gopi puts hand on woman reporter’s shoulder, stirs row

mangaloretoday.com

Kozhikode, Oct 28, 2023: Malayalam actor and BJP leader Surresh Gopi stirred up a controversy after he was accused of misbehaving with a woman journalist while speaking with the media in Kozhikode, Kerala. The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has threatened to take legal action against him.

 

A video of the incident has surfaced on social media, in which the BJP leader can be seen keeping his left hand on the shoulder of the woman journalist as she asks him a question. Despite stepping back, Gopi’s hand remains intact on her shoulder before he finally pulls it back. However, he repeats the action only seconds later, and this time, the woman journalist is seen removing his hand from her shoulder.

The journalist asked Gopi about the BJP’s failure to win a single seat in Lok Sabha elections from Kerala. "Let me give a try, dear. Let us wait," he responded to her by placing his hand on her shoulder.

The KUWJ demanded an apology from the actor-turned-politician, and said that it will file a case against him with the women’s commission as well. "Other appropriate legal action will also be taken," the journalists’ body added.

Gopi has now issued an apology on his Facebook page, claiming the woman journalist was "treated with affection in front of the media". "I have never behaved inappropriately in public or otherwise in life. But my opinion is that whatever she felt about it (the incident) should be respected. I apologise if she felt bad or suffered emotional distress in any way. Sorry," his post in Malayalam read.

A former Rajya Sabha MP, Gopi is likely to be fielded from Thrissur constituency again in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has high expectations from the seat. The actor-turned-politician contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as well as in 2021 Kerala Assembly elections from the Thrissur seat, but failed both times. He has since been working to ensure a triumph for his party from Thrissur in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Courtesy: India Today