Senior Congress leaders in Kerala voiced divergent views on Saturday over the controversy surrounding MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who stepped down this week as state Youth Congress president after a Malayalam actress accused “a young leader” of misbehaviour.
With the BJP and CPI(M) pressing for his resignation as Palakkad MLA, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said the party was handling the matter “very seriously.”
“Within 24 hours of the allegation, Mamkootathil resigned from his post. There is a procedure, and the party will examine the matter thoroughly,” Satheesan told reporters in Kochi.
He warned party workers against targeting complainants, adding, “Strict action will be taken against anyone running campaigns against the women who raised allegations. That is not Kerala's culture.”
On whether the resignation was voluntary or forced, Satheesan said, “That is a technical question. The result is the same. He has the right to prove his innocence, and we will hear everyone involved.”
In contrast, AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunshi, maintained that the party had not received any formal complaint.
“This chapter is over. He has resigned from the Youth Congress post. I want to clearly say that no complaint has been received from any person, woman, or family against Mamkootathil. We only came to know from various media reports that some people had lodged complaints,” she said in Thrissur.
Dasmunshi stressed that his resignation was based on moral grounds. “Since we have not received any formal complaint, how can we take action? This is a decision taken on moral grounds by Rahul. The Congress has always stood by moral values,” she said, adding, “There are leaders in other parties who face similar allegations but continue as MLAs. I would ask those parties to first look into their own matters.”
She also clarified, “I spoke to the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president. No complaint has been received by the party, no complaint has been filed with the police, and no FIR has been registered. The chapter was closed two days ago.”
Backing Mamkootathil more strongly, Congress MP and KPCC vice president Shafi Parambil said, “Rahul has not run away from the issue. The remark describing him as ‘absconding’ is wrong. There is no legal complaint or FIR against him.”
He added that Mamkootathil had acted responsibly by stepping down immediately. “The moment such an allegation arose against him as Youth Congress president, he expressed his willingness to resign and then stepped down. But it is clear that the opposition is continuing its criticism with political motives,” Parambil said.
He also hit out at rivals, saying, “This is an attempt to silence the Congress. What right do the CPI(M) and BJP have to lecture the Congress on morality?”
Meanwhile, the CPI(M)’s youth wing DYFI staged a protest during a programme attended by Parambil in Vadakara, demanding Mamkootathil’s resignation as MLA. A scuffle broke out when police tried to disperse the protesters, following which they staged a sit-in demonstration.