The Congress party on Monday suspended Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil from its membership for six months amid an ongoing sexual misconduct row. The decision was announced by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, the Chairman of the KPCC Disciplinary Panel, who said a meeting had been held on Sunday to decide on a course of action.
“It has been decided to suspend Rahul Mamkootathil from the party. The leadership has already made it clear that appropriate action will be taken against him. This is the first step,” Radhakrishnan told the media. The party will also seek an explanation from the MLA regarding the allegations of inappropriate behaviour. It is understood that the suspension is a punitive measure against Mamkootathil for his alleged defiance of a section of party leaders who had demanded his resignation. By penalising the MLA, the party also hopes to project a high moral ground in the face of serious allegations. While a group of leaders initially insisted that there was no case against him, the continuous surfacing of audio clips of his conversations reportedly forced the party to act.
Adoor Prakash, the convenor of the United Democratic Front (UDF), said that those who were expecting Mamkootathil to resign would be disappointed. “I am not saying he has not made any mistakes. But the claims should be proven.”ย
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Owing to the seriousness of the allegations, the party has suspended the MLA, although no formal written complaint had been received, said Congress leader K Muraleedharan. He explained that as a democratic party, there is a specific procedure for such matters and that the suspension was a necessary step given the widespread public discussion. Muraleedharan suggested that further action could follow, describing the suspension as the “second phase” after his resignation as Youth Congress president.
Meanwhile, Minister for Local Self-Government MB Rajesh criticised the Congress leadership, accusing them of protecting Mamkootathil. โThose who raised, promoted and made him an MLA are now protecting him and his position as well,โ he said. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s state vice-president, C Krishnakumar, also commented, alleging that Mamkootathil was blackmailing the party leadership. โThis is purely due to Rahul blackmailing them; he knows several stories of leaders and they donโt want this to come out,โ Krishnakumar claimed. He also questioned why Congress MLA Shafi Parambil was made to resign and contest in Vadakara if the party was against a by-election.
The controversy began after Malayalam actor Rini Ann George accused an unnamed political leader of sending her offensive messages. The row intensified when writer Honey Bhaskaran publicly named Mamkootathil on Facebook, alleging he had repeatedly sent her unsolicited messages.