Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
Vadakara MP Shafi Parambil on Saturday, August 23, said that he had not received any complaint against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who resigned as Youth Congress state president following allegations of sexual misconduct. He said that Mamkootathil stepped down even before a formal complaint or FIR was filed, calling it a “significant step” and an example of political accountability.
“There is no FIR or finding against him. He expressed his willingness to resign, and the party accepted it. This is an important step at this point in time,” Shafi told reporters in Kozhikode. He argued that while Congress took a moral stand by accepting the resignation immediately, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had protected their own leaders in similar situations.
“If a CPI(M) leader had resigned in this way, they would have been praised for upholding morality. In Mamkootathil’s case, even after he stepped down, Congress continues to face criticism,” Shafi said. He accused the CPI(M) of using the controversy to divert attention from its failures in government and questioned why certain media outlets were “pushing this agenda.”
Shafi rejected CPI(M)’s demand that Mamkootathil resign as MLA as well, calling it hypocritical. “How can a party that allowed an MLA to continue even after a chargesheet was filed demand resignation? How can the BJP, which elevated a POCSO accused to its Parliamentary board, ask the same? Allegations have also been raised against members of the Chief Minister’s staff and ministers who continue in office. Compared to that, our party took a moral stand; we didn’t dismiss the protests or shield him. He resigned as soon as the issue came up,” he said.
The MP also clarified that writer Honey Bhaskaran, who accused Mamkootathil of inappropriate behaviour, had not approached him with a complaint. On reports that he “escaped” to Bihar after the controversy, Shafi said the allegation was baseless. “I had gone to Bihar as part of an important struggle. It is easy to reach Bihar from Delhi after the Parliament. I do not run away from protests or the media. Even now, I am here,” he said, adding that the decision to join Rahul Gandhi’s yatra was taken much earlier.