Thiruvananthapuram | Chief Minister V D Satheesan's recent remarks that mothers should pass on traditional food practices to their sons' wives have triggered criticism on social media, with several users describing the comments as "anti-women".

Addressing the Pampa Festival of Dialogues in Chengannur on Saturday, Satheesan said, "I have a complaint against some mothers. They have a special talent for preparing certain traditional dishes that only they know how to make. But they do not pass those recipes on to their children." "At the very least, they should teach those dishes either to their own children or to the person who later becomes their son's wife. That way, the uniqueness of those dishes can be carried forward to the next generation," the Chief Minister said.

Former General Education Minister and senior CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty criticised the Chief Minister's remarks, saying they were contrary to the values of gender equality promoted through Kerala's school curriculum.

In a Facebook post, Sivankutty said, "We introduced a change in the textbooks that everyone, regardless of whether they are male or female, should do household chores. Even then..." The former minister said household responsibilities should not be assigned on the basis of gender and recalled that the curriculum had been revised to encourage boys and girls alike to share domestic work equally.

In a social media post, writer S Saradakutty criticised Satheesan's remarks as patriarchal, saying they ignored the growing resistance to traditional gender roles.

She cited the recent women-led protests at Jantar Mantar and shared a poem that symbolically rejects the intergenerational transmission of domestic burdens imposed on women.