With local body elections nearing, the United Democratic Front (UDF) is facing renewed turmoil as suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil has begun actively campaigning in Palakkad, even as new audio clips and WhatsApp chats linked to him surfaced this week.
Over the past few days, Rahul has been going door-to-door in several wards of the Palakkad municipality, seeking support for Congress-backed candidates. When asked about his participation, he repeated that the party had neither invited him nor asked him to stay away. “The party has not asked me to take part in the campaigns, nor has it told me to keep off. Many people who supported me during the assembly election are contesting now, so I will campaign for them. I will do everything possible for the Congress to win. Why do you (media) have an issue when voters and candidates don’t?” he said in Palakkad.
Speaking about the accusations of sexual misconduct against him, he claimed that he has not committed any wrongdoing. “I have not done anything against the law of this country. I will move forward legally. Let the enquiry take its course. I will prove my innocence in court, and after that I will communicate with the public,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders have attempted to distance the party from the controversy. AICC general secretary and MP KC Venugopal reiterated that Rahul remains suspended and said questions about his campaign activities should be directed to local leaders in Palakkad. Opposition leader VD Satheesan also noted that disciplinary action cannot be repeated, pointing out that the MLA has already been suspended.
The latest set of alleged audio recordings and chats, which appeared online on Monday, November 24, revived longstanding accusations of sexual misconduct against Rahul. One clip features a male voice allegedly pressuring a woman to terminate a pregnancy. Rahul declined to comment on the authenticity of the audio and did not explicitly deny that the voice was his.
The controversy triggered a protest march by BJP workers to the MLA’s office in Palakkad.
Addressing this controversy, Rahul accused television channels of attributing the voice in the recordings to him without giving him a chance to respond. He also questioned the timing of the allegations, saying they tend to resurface whenever elections are near. Although some Congress members, including several women leaders, had earlier called for his resignation, he has maintained that he will not step down.
Police have made no progress in the case, as no woman allegedly involved has filed a complaint.