Former Kerala minister and state Congress Working President K Sudhakaran on Wednesday made a sexist comment while criticising Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, local reports said. The Congress leader said the party had expected Vijayan to run the administration effectively “but he turned out to be worse than a woman”.

The Congress leader made the statement at the start of the United Democratic Front’s protest against the Left Democratic Front-led government’s “failure to rebuild the state” in the aftermath of the floods in the state last year.

“Like many, I too had believed that Pinarayi Vijayan would be one chief minister who would be a doer,” Sudhakaran said. “But looking back, he has proved to be the biggest disaster. Many, including me felt he would be one man who would bring about change, but he has been able to do nothing. Even a woman would have done better.”

At least 483 people died in the state in rain-related incidents during the monsoon in 2018. During the worst phase of the flooding in August, there were 14.5 lakh people in relief camps.