Malappuram (Kerala) | Congress-ally Indian Union Muslim League's (IUML) state general secretary P M A Salam has said that women and men are not equal and anyone claiming that is only "closing their eyes to make it dark".

The controversial statement, which may not bode well for the UDF opposition politically, was made by Salam while speaking to reporters at Malappuram recently and visuals of the same were aired on TV channels on Wednesday.

Giving an example in support of his contention, the IUML leader said that in the Olympics there were different categories for women and men.

"Is it not because they are different? Can we say man and woman are equal in all respects? Has the world accepted it? Saying they are equal is like closing your eyes to make it dark," he said.

Salam said that the IUML is pro-equal and gender justice for women and men and not gender equality.

A similar controversial statement involving women was made last week by a prominent Islamic cleric in Kerala with regard to workout sessions involving both men and women in public.

Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, General Secretary of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama of AP Sunnis, noted that such practices may "compromise" the modesty of women while engaging in them.

He was apparently referring to the Multi-Exercise Combination 7 (MEC 7), a workout routine popular in the northern districts of the state.

The workout routine was recently embroiled in controversy after some across the political spectrum raised speculations about its alleged links to the banned Islamist outfits Popular Front of India and Jamaat-e-Islami.

Gaining popularity in North Kerala, MEC 7 is a workout routine that blends various disciplines, including yoga. However, the organisers of the routine outrightly rejected these charges.