Congress hints at more stringent action against Rahul Mamkootathil

Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, on Saturday (August 23, 2025), signalled that Congress contemplated stringent action against party legislator Rahul Mamkootathil, MLA, who is facing accusations of inappropriate behaviour towards women.

Mr Satheesan’s statement assumed political significance against the backdrop of mounting street protests and increasingly strident demands for Mr. Mamkootathil’s resignation as legislator from Palakkad.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have threatened to boycott Mr. Mamkootathil if he enters Palakkad.

The Students Federation of India (SFI) announced that it would send at least one lakh letters to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi demanding that Mr. Mamkootathil relinquish his Assembly seat.

Speaking to reporters in Ernakulam, Mr. Satheesan said Mr. Mamkootathil’s resignation as State Youth Congress president was the “first phase”. The party’s national leadership would constitute a committee to examine the gravity of the complaints against Mr. Mamkootathil. 

Satheesan raps Sreekantan

Mr. Satheesan also called out V.K. Sreekantan, MP, for allegedly making deprecating comments about the sartorial preferences and public conduct of a woman who accused Mr. Mamkootathil of deluging her with unsolicited and salacious WhatsApp messages.. “It was a politically incorrect statement and Mr Sreekantan made amends by publicly recanting it”, he said.

‘CPI(M), BJP have no moral rights to question Congress’

Mr. Satheesan said the Congress had seized the high moral ground by securing Mr. Mamkootathil’s resignation. In contrast, Mr Satheesan said, the CPI(M) protected its legislator, who is facing trial for allegedly raping a woman.

He also said the BJP had no moral right to accuse the Congress of shielding sex offenders. “A former BJP Chief Minister facing charges of sexually abusing minors sits on the party’s Parliamentary board”, he added.

Shafi Parambil faces the heat

In Kozhikode, CPI(M) workers held street protests accusing Congress leader Shafi Parambil, MP, of shielding Mr Mamkootathil. 

Mr. Parambil denied that he had absconded, chary of facing public wrath ignited by the accusations against Mr. Mamkootathil.

Speaking to reporters in Vadakara, Mr. Parambil pointed out that neither the police nor any watchdog agency had received or registered any complaint against Mr. Mamkootathil. 

“There is no police case or first information statement against Mr Mamkootathil. Nevertheless, he took the fall for the party by resigning on his own volition”, Mr Parambil, who is in Vadakara to take part in a protest against the delay in completion of the Vengalam-Azhiyoor stretch of the NH-66, said.

The Congress MP also dismissed media reports and social media campaigns accusing him of keeping a silence over the issue. “Some media reports suggested that I had absconded to Bihar. All of you are aware of the protests against the Special Intensive Revision of the voters’ list there. I went there to be part of it,” Mr. Parambil said.

Mr Parambil accused the CPI(M) of laying down a smoke screen of malevolent lies against Mr Mamkootathil to deflect public attention from issues, including corruption and infighting, plaguing the party and government. 

Meanwhile, a group of activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India and the CPI(M) staged a demonstration against the MP when he was addressing the protest event. They raised slogans against Mr. Parambil for protecting Mr. Mamkoottathil.

Some of the activists also levelled allegations against K.K. Rema, Vadakara MLA and Revolutionary Marxist Party of India leader, who won the seat with the support of the Congress-led United Democratic Front.