Ershad had alleged, “Now she again wants to win from the constituency by selling her eloquence and beauty.”Vijayan said attacking a woman with derogatory words because she is a public representative shows the “degradation of political culture”. In a statement, he said such “character assassination” was being used because the opposition could not politically counter the development work done in the constituency. He said that this comment is not against just one person but is an insult to all women present in public life and if the opposition thought that it can get votes by insulting women instead of discussing real issues, then it is wrong.Meanwhile, Pratibha said that she will inform the Election Commission and take legal action. He said he was shocked by the comments and described them as “beyond character assassination”.She said, “During elections people look at the heart and mind of the candidate and not their body. I have given my heart and my energy to Kayamkulam and have worked hard for it. This mentality that a woman is only a body is wrong. It was a shameful statement.”Speaking to a TV channel and later at a press conference in Kayamkulam, Pratibha became emotional and questioned how such comments could be made by a leader of a major political front. “I’m very saddened by what I heard,” she said as tears streamed down her cheeks.