The senior leader of the congress, Ramesh Chennithala, said on Tuesday that Rahul Mamkootathil, a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), was suspended from the party’s primary membership after it was satisfied that the information about his “misconduct” to women was correct. Chennithala also said that if Mamkotathil is innocent, he must prove it. A day after Mamkotathil, with multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, was suspended from the party’s primary membership on Monday, Chennithala said the congress would not tolerate activities that injure women’s dignity. “I don’t know if these allegations are correct or not, but the collected information said it is correct. That’s why we all advocated for strong action,” Chennithala, who is abroad, told PTI in a telephone interview. The senior leader described the party’s decision against Mamkotathil as ‘daring and idealistic’, which would help maintain the dignity and rights of women, and said there was consensus among the party leaders about the need for strict action against the Palakkad MLA. He said the action was taken after discussions with the leaders in the party’s high order. Asked what the way forward is for Mamkootathil, against whom no fir is registered, Chennithala said. “If he is innocent, he must prove it. Then we can reconsider the decision made. It’s up to him. ‘ Chennithala said the party took a very idealistic position in the case of Rahul. “When the issue came up, the party asked him to resign as president of the youth congress. Then he resigned. Later, some more revelations came. It was very serious. Then the party leaders, all of us, jointly discussed and made a decision to suspend him from the primary membership of the party,” he said. The member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) said there was no petition, Fir or charge sheet against Mamkootathil, but the party acted after the details of his alleged misconduct to women came into the public domain. “Then we thought it was better to maintain the dignity of women and probability in public life. It’s a daring decision we’ve made. The party doesn’t approve of this kind of activities,” he said. Chennithala also challenged the CPI (M), Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the BJP to make such a daring decision against leaders facing similar allegations in their parties. “I ask the chief minister if they will take action against the people who are chatted in the meeting and sit in the meeting. I don’t think they will do it, ‘he said. Referring to the allegations of sexual misconduct against former BJP -LP Brij Bhushan, Chennithala said he was still in the saffron party. “We are therefore completely different from the BJP and the CPI (M) and our position is appreciated by party workers and the public in general,” he said. KPCC president Sunny Joseph announced the disciplinary action against Mamkootathil in Kanur on Monday. However, he rejected political opponents’ claim for Mamkootathil’s resignation as MLA. Joseph also said the legislature had drafted an ‘model’ by relinquishing the president of the youth congress without waiting for a formal complaint or a case filed. Rahul Mamkootathil recently ceased to president the youth congress, after Malayalam actress Rini Ann George ‘a young leader’ of a well-known political party of misconduct, which led to subsequent protests by the BJP and Dyfi, the youth wing of the CPI (M). Next, several women and a transgender accused him of similar offenses. He was elected MLA in November last year in a by-election held for the Palakkad seat, after the party leader election and then Mla Shafi Parambil as Lok Sabha MP of Vadakara in the general election. (With Pti inputs)
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