Rahul Mamkootathil row: Despite action, Cong struggles to balance politics, survival

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 25 (IANS) The political storm around first-time Congress legislator Rahul Mamkootathil continues to rage, with the party caught in a delicate balancing act of containing mounting public anger and political survival despite taking disciplinary action against him.

What began with an actress hinting at misconduct by a “young leader” has spiraled into a full-blown controversy, drawing in Opposition parties, civil society groups and even statutory commissions.

BJP workers staged a march to Mamkootathil’s office in Palakkad, while CPI(M) leaders publicly urged the Congress to act.

Within days, additional allegations surfaced, including one from a woman writer and more pointed charges from transwoman Avantika, who released audio clips and chats accusing the MLA of threats and coercion.

Initially, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) directed the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) to probe the matter, even hinting at Mamkootathil’s removal as Youth Congress president.

The MLA soon resigned that post “on moral grounds.”

Senior Congress leaders, including AICC general secretary Deepadas Munshi, argued that the step reflected the party’s higher ethical standards compared to rivals, noting that “not a single formal complaint” had been filed.

However, pressure did not ease. Both the CPI(M) and BJP escalated demands for his resignation from the Assembly, while women leaders within the Congress itself, such as Shanimol Usman and Uma Thomas, urged stronger action.

On Monday, the KPCC suspended Mamkootathil from the party’s primary membership.

The disciplinary action, taken after consultations involving KPCC president Sunny Joseph, Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, bars him from legislative party meetings and official forums.

Yet doubts persist over whether this will suffice.

Mamkootathil remains defiant, refusing to resign as MLA and offering partial defenses while sidestepping the most damning charges.

He released phone conversations with Avantika in an attempt to discredit her claims, but has avoided seeking forensic tests to disprove the incriminating audio clips.

This ambiguity, say insiders, has left even sympathisers hesitant to stand by him.

The controversy has also triggered wider debates on political morality.

Vadakara Congress MP Shafi Parambil accused the CPI(M) of hypocrisy, pointing out that one of its MLAs continues in office despite facing a rape charge sheet.

Satheesan on Monday said neither the CPI(M) nor the BJP has the spine to take such an action like what was taken by them when they removed Mamkootathil from the post of Youth Congress president.

“Why is the CPI(M) in Kerala silent on quite a few cases against their top leaders including a legislator and a person in Vijayan’s office. In the case of our legislator, there is not a single complaint or an FIR, while the CPI(M) and even a top national BJP leader is being shielded after being entangled in similar cases,” said Satheesan.

AICC Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala and senior legislator said the Congress has always stood firmly for women’s rights and will not compromise on this issue.

“The decision to suspend Mamkootathil was taken unanimously by the leadership. Unlike us, the CPI(M) has consistently sheltered offenders, protecting them in the Assembly and in government, even going so far as to trivialise the severity of allegations to shield the accused,” said Chennithala.

By now the State Women’s Commission and Child Rights Commission have taken note of the allegations, adding institutional weight to the case.

Likewise both the CPI(M) and the BJP have seized this issue and has taken this issue to the streets as was seen by a series of protests at a few places in the state on Monday.

Meanwhile the suspension is largely seen as a damage control measure, designed to avoid a by-election in Palakkad that could prove politically costly, as last year, the BJP candidate finished in second place, when Mamkootathil won with a good majority.

As matters stand, Congress hopes suspension will cool tempers, but both CPI(M) and BJP appear determined to keep the issue alive.

The young legislator, once hailed as a rising star after his bye-election win in Palakkad last year, now finds his political future hanging in the balance, with his own party walking a tightrope between ethics and expediency.

--IANS

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