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Cherian Philip, a Congress senior leader, trying to hug the newly elected Kerala Congress MLA from Kollam, Bindu Krishna, has brought most of Kerala's conservative media into a flurry of controversy last night. The video of a senior Congress leader, Cherian Philip, who attempted to hug Kerala Congress MLA Bindu Krishna at his residence in Kollam, has caused major controversy in the conservative section of media. It happened during a meeting of the legislative party held at the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Thiruvananthapuram city.

In the scene, 71-year-old Philip steps forward to welcome Bindu Krishna when she comes, holding out her hand. The MLA can visibly see he isn't comfortable with it, pushes the hug off, and moves on to greet others. The face-to-face meeting took place in front of other party leaders and journalists.

The video has seen a huge backlash on social platforms, with plenty decrying an older leader's disregard of his own consent and personal boundaries. Issues related to the fitness of working with colleagues, women boldly, are being raised in both working and political environments.

Congress has yet to make any official statement on the issue. This incident has had a huge impact on the debate about women's safety and respect in political parties, particularly because of the party's success in the recent Assembly poll in Kerala.