Senior Cong. leader Sudhakaran against ‘destroying’ Mamkoothathil’s political future

Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran on Wednesday sought to downplay the sexual misconduct allegations against Congress legislator Rahul Mamkootathil.

He said he was not party to the Congress’ decision to suspend Mr. Mamkoothathil. He said he had not attended the meeting in which disciplinary action was taken against the legislator. Mr. Sudhakaran said he stood by his earlier position on Mr. Mamkootathil, noting that differing views within the party were natural.

Mr. Sudhakaran’s remarks came as fresh allegations surfaced against the MLA after an audio clip and alleged chat screenshots appeared online.

Speaking to the media here, he said controversies of this nature tended to subside over time, pointing out that many past issues had been “forgotten and forgiven.” While maintaining that Mr. Mamkootathil needed to “change certain things,” he said he did not agree with destroying Mr. Mamkoothathil’s political future. Mr. Sudhakaran acknowledged that several leaders disagreed with his view, adding that such differences did not trouble him.

Mr. Mamkoothathil, who previously served as the Youth Congress State president, had resigned following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. He was later suspended from the primary membership of the Congress. Despite the suspension, he continued to attend public events and actively campaigned for Congress candidates in the the local body election.