Thiruvananthapuram: A day after Rahul Mamkootathil stepped down as the Kerala Youth Congress president amid allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple women, the party’s state unit Friday said an internal panel will probe the charges against the Palakkad MLA.
The ruling CPI(M) and the BJP, however, continue to demand his resignation as MLA. “The allegations against Rahul Mamkootathil (35) are serious and very rarely heard in Kerala. He has to resign from the MLA post. The Congress’s post is not elected. But his MLA post is democratically elected and he has a moral responsibility to step down,” Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty told the media Friday.
He also derided Mamkootathil as an “arrogant” legislator who often spoke in the Assembly in a disrespectful way. CPI(M) General Secretary M.V. Govindan too said his resignation as MLA is a general public demand.
But, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leadership said there are no official complaints yet from any woman for him to resign. “The CPIM and the BJP can’t demand resignation from the Congress. We have many examples of them protecting the accused in similar cases,” Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunny Joseph said Friday.
A senior Congress leader, however, did say Mamkootathil faces criticism within the party too for being “immature” and snapping at colleagues.
“He could have been one of the party’s faces in the campaign against Pinarayi Vijayan in the Assembly polls. He is fearless and has that energy of a youngster. But he should have been more careful,” the leader told ThePrint, requesting anonymity.
He added the party’s high command and even youth Congress members in the state are upset about the controversy.
Meanwhile, KPCC disciplinary committee chairperson Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told The Hindu a KPCC panel will probe the allegations against Rahul Mamkootathil. He said the party’s national leadership would announce the composition of the inquiry panel.
ThePrint reached Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan but he refused to comment on the matter.
Controversy and resignation
The controversy came to light Wednesday after actress and former journalist Rini Ann George claimed that a “young political leader from a prominent political party” had sent her obscene messages and invited her to a hotel. She alleged the leader made similar advances to many other women she knew, though they were hesitant to come forward.
Though she didn’t name him, speculation mounted that she was referring to Rahul Mamkootathil.
A day later, writer Honey Bhaskaran alleged Mamkootathil contacted her via Instagram and made inappropriate advances. Soon after, multiple allegations surfaced on social media, including an audio clip of an alleged conversation in which the MLA was purportedly heard pressuring a woman to undergo an abortion.
A trans woman alos accused the Palakkad MLA of sexual harassment.
Amid the swirling charges, Mamkootathil quit as Kerala Youth Congress president Thursday. Announcing his resignation, Mamkootathil said he shared a good friendship with Rini and did not think she was referring to him.
“If there is an official complaint, I will prove my innocence in court. I had a good relationship with the young actress who raised the complaint. Even now, we share a good friendship. I still do not believe she was speaking about me. The complainant has not mentioned my name,” Mamkootathil said.
He also said the party high command had not asked him to resign.
Past controversies
Among the popular young Congress leaders in the state, Rahul Mamkootathil is known in Kerala for his active social media presence and for taking on political opponents online.
For instance, during the Nilambur bypoll, when the Congress faced flak over the candidature of former MLA P. V. Anvar, he posted that the CPM should field its popular face M. Swaraj. Ironically, Mamkootathil himself courted controversy by later meeting Anvar privately, even as the Congress leadership distanced itself from him.
Anvar, the LDF-backed independent MLA from Nilambur, had expressed interest in joining the UDF after resigning and declaring an open war with the LDF. However, the Congress leadership grew wary after Anvar repeatedly attacked Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan and Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath in multiple press conferences. This eventually led the party to sever ties with Anvar.
The CPM went on to field Swaraj, though he lost to the Congress candidate.
Hailing from Pathanamthitta district, Rahul Mamkootathil’s political journey began during his undergraduate years with the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress.
He went on to hold various positions in KSU and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), in addition to being a member of the KKPCC. He became state president of the youth Congress in 2023.
He contested his first election in 2024 for the Palakkad bypoll, after the seat fell vacant when incumbent MLA Shafi Parambil was elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara. A close aide of Shafi, another popular young Congress face, Rahul Mamkootathil was fielded at the Shafi’s suggestion.
Shafi had vouched for Mamkootathil in several interviews, and both shared close relations with V. D. Satheesan.
The announcement, however, caused rumblings within the party. Palakkad Congress leader P. Sarin, who also headed the party’s social media team, rebelled openly against the candidature and joined the Left.
Amid the rift, Mamkootathil won the seat with a margin of 18,840 votes, securing 58,389 votes against BJP’s C. Krishnakumar (39,549) and LDF candidate P. Sarin (37,156).
“Shafi-Rahul’s wing had gained so much popularity that it even overshadowed senior leaders. But it worked well among the cadres and youngsters, so the leadership supported it too,” said the Congress leader quoted earlier.
Kerala is headed for Assembly elections in 2026.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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