Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 5 (IANS): CPI-M legislator Prathiba Hari, who faces a tough battle in Kerala's Kayamkulam Assembly constituency, is seeing her problems increase after her party Alappuzha MP A.M. Arif's jibe at her 26-year-old Congress opponent drew flak.

Hari's expectation of a walkover for a second term from the constituency located in Alappuzha district, were disrupted by certain factional feuds in the party surfacing and when things appeared to have been sorted out, the Congress decision to field Aritha Babu, who ekes out a living by rearing cows and selling their milk to the nearby milk society, made things uncertain for her again.

With Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi herself coming to campaign for Babu and visiting her small dwelling, the contest has become a prestige fight.

But then Arif's comment in his speech that that the April 6 election is meant to elect a member to the Kerala Assembly and not to a milk society went viral and drew outrage from several quarters.

Babu herself said that this was not a statement that was expected from a Lok Sabha member of the CPI-M.

"The CPI-M claims it is a party of the working class and this statement made by Arif is one which belittles the entire working class who eke out a living working hard," she said.

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala asked Arif to withdraw his statement and tender an apology.

"This is a statement which should never have been made as it is an insult to Babu because she ekes out a living selling milk. The voters at Kayamkulam will give a befitting reply to Arif's statement," he said.