Thiruvananthapuram: IAS officer Divya S Iyer has become the focus of an online controversy after she praised KK Ragesh, former private secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was recently appointed as Kannur district secretary of the ruling CPI(M).
Iyer, a 2014-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, currently serves as the Managing Director of Vizhinjam International Seaport. Her social media post described Ragesh as “a textbook of loyalty and an inkwell of hard work,” sparking criticism—particularly from Congress leaders.
The backlash was amplified due to Iyer’s personal connection to the Congress party—she is married to Congress leader KS Sabarinadhan, son of late senior Congress politician G Karthikeyan.
In defense of Iyer, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan dismissed the online trolling as the result of a “patriarchal mindset”, accusing critics of expecting Iyer’s political views to align with her husband’s.
“She expressed what she witnessed in her professional capacity. The attack on her comes from the belief that a woman’s political stance must mirror her husband’s—an outdated and dominant male perspective,” said Vijayan.
The Chief Minister further labelled the criticism as the “chanting of extremely immature minds” and defended Iyer’s right to speak independently of her personal affiliations.
The debate continues to stir conversation around gender, autonomy, and political expectations from public servants in India.
