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After Kerala Youth Congress president and Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil resigned from all organisational posts following allegations of sexual harassment, the CPI(M) and BJP demanded that he also step down as legislator. Rini Ann George, the former journalist and actor whose statements sparked the row, said her fight was for women and political accountability.
CPI(M) veteran EP Jayarajan declared that Rahul had lost his moral authority. “He should resign as a legislator, he should apologise to all the women publicly. He is not eligible to stay in politics. People are watching whether Congress will take a stand,” he said.
BJP leader Padmaja Venugopal also pressed for his ouster. “Resigning the Youth Congress president position is not enough, he should resign from the MLA position. An MLA should be a person we can trust and bring home. It is Congress’s responsibility to remove him from the post of MLA,” she said.
CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan added that the Congress leadership could not brush aside the charges. “Congress should seriously consider whether it is enough that he resigned only as Youth Congress president. KPCC and the party cannot neglect these allegations,” he remarked.
DYFI state president VM Sanoj alleged that Opposition leader VD Satheesan had failed to act earlier. “A woman has complained to the opposition leader. But he hid that and stood with the perpetrator. This is a serious issue. The woman has said she had already conveyed it to VD Satheesan, but he did not take any action,” Sanoj said.
Reacting after Rahul’s resignation, Rini Ann George said: “My fight is for women, not just against an individual. I am raising issues to make it clear how a politician should be. I still consider this person as a friend, I wish he will be reformed. This is about how a politician should behave in society.”
Asked about Rahul’s remark that he quit not out of guilt but to spare colleagues from defending him, she responded sharply: “He can only say that. His attitude is ‘who cares’.”
Education Minister V Sivankutty, meanwhile, urged complainants to come forward without fear. “The allegations are serious. The women who raised them have to name the perpetrator. They should not be scared, the government will extend all support,” he said.
Rahul, who secured a record win in the 2024 Palakkad Assembly bye-poll with a margin of 18,840 votes, had risen through the ranks of the Kerala Students Union and the Youth Congress to become a prominent youth leader in the state. In November 2023, he was elected state president of the Indian Youth Congress after winning the internal party election with 2,21,986 votes, defeating his closest rival by 53,398 votes.
The controversy erupted after Rini Ann George alleged that a young politician from Kerala had sent her offensive messages and invited her to a hotel room more than three years ago. Though she did not name him, protests led by the BJP in Palakkad alleged she was referring to Rahul. The issue triggered heated debates within the Youth Congress, with several leaders demanding his resignation.
Rahul has denied wrongdoing, claiming he was not asked by the high command to resign. “There are no complaints against me. No one has named me. Anyone can cook up a complaint… Let them complain, I can prove my innocence in court. But now I am resigning as Youth Congress state vice president, not because I was wrong, but because my colleagues should not have to spend their time defending me,” he told the media on August 21.