5 months ago
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The Congress enactment successful Kerala connected Friday (November 28, 2025) appeared to locomotion a choky enactment betwixt questioning the “suspicious” governmental timing of the intersexual battle lawsuit against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil and remaining noncommittal astir the street-protests-backed strident demands from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his resignation arsenic legislator.
United Democratic Front (UDF) convener Adoor Prakash told reporters that the CPI(M) had reverted to its “election-era playbook of foisting sensational transgression cases” against Opposition leaders arsenic portion of its governmental gambit to change the arc of the nationalist statement successful the run-up to the section assemblage polls.
Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) disciplinary committee chairperson, who suspended Mr. Mamkootathil from the party’s rank successful August 2025 aft the MLA had recovered himself astatine the centre of a stormy serial intersexual misconduct scandal, expressed scepticism astir the timing of the case.
Speaking to reporters successful Kottayam, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the government’s determination to publication Mr. Mamkootathil seemed, prima facie, “political and not the effect of a earthy process of law.”
However, voices of dissonance successful the Congress implicit the “Mamkootathil issue” emerged successful the nationalist domain connected Friday. Congress person Rajmohan Unnithan, MP, said the enactment “risked guilt by relation successful the nationalist eye” if it did not enactment successful an exemplary mode successful the case.
Congress person Shanimol Usman, among respective women leaders who demanded Mr Mamkootathil’s resignation, said her presumption connected the lawsuit remained unchanged.
Street protests
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) and the BJP revamped their attacks connected the Congress for “shielding intersexual offenders and giving the abbreviated shrift to women’s information and welfare”.
CPI(M) and BJP workers took to the streets separately, burning Mr. Mamkootathil successful the effigy successful his Palakkad constituency. Both parties person threatened Statewide protests if the Congress failed to unafraid Mr. Mamkootathil’s resignation arsenic MLA.
CPI(M) State caput M.V. Govindan said the Congress could salvage the “remnants of its self-respect” by demanding Mr. Mamkootathil’s resignation.
CPI person Annie Raja said the Congress should “stop sermonising” astir upholding women’s rights and dignity and acceptable an illustration by expelling him from the enactment and securing his resignation arsenic MLA.
BJP person K. Surendran said the Congress was protecting Mr. Mamkootathil “out of fearfulness that helium would spill the beans connected different elder leaders.”
Venugopal’s response
In Delhi, AICC wide caput K.C. Venugopal denied that the Congress accorded Mr. Mamkootathil governmental protection.
“The Congress suspended him from the party’s superior membership, removed him from the legislative enactment and besides asked him to resign from the station of Youth Congress president,” helium said.
