The Congress in Kerala has suspended disgraced Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil for six months but stopped short of demanding his resignation—despite mounting pressure from political rivals and senior leaders, including several women within the party.
Mamkootathil had earlier stepped down as president of the Youth Congress in Kerala after multiple women accused him of inappropriate behaviour. Audio clips suggesting that the young MLA forced a woman to undergo an abortion after impregnating her also surfaced. The gravity of these allegations has now led to his suspension.
Announcing the decision, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said that although no formal case has been registered against Mamkootathil, the party views the matter seriously. “We have taken a unanimous decision to suspend Rahul Mamkootathil from party membership. As a result, he is no longer entitled to continue as a member of the Congress Legislature Party,” he said.
The decision has raised a key question: why did Congress refrain from demanding his resignation from the MLA post?
The Congress leadership has seemingly convinced many within the party who had demanded Rahul Mamkoottathil’s resignation, arguing that with just nine months left for the assembly polls, a vacant seat in Palakkad could trigger a by-election that might benefit the BJP. The recent death of Peerumade MLA Vazhoor Soman has already left one seat vacant, and if Palakkad too goes for a by-poll, Peerumade would also face one simultaneously. Congress fears it may struggle to defend Palakkad in the current climate, while capturing an LDF-held seat would be equally difficult.
Adding to this concern, BJP has long considered Palakkad an “A-class” constituency. The party had emerged runner-up in the by-election through which Mamkoottathil won the seat after Shafi Parambil resigned to contest in Vadakara. If the BJP manages to wrest Palakkad in a by-poll, it would not only allow the CPI(M) to blame Congress for helping the saffron party reopen its account in the Assembly, but also strengthen the BJP’s chances of retaining the seat in next year’s state elections.
The leadership is also believed to have factored in the heavy monetary burden of contesting two by-elections, which it sees as futile exercises. Moreover, the party fears that a by-poll scenario would divert attention from the fast-approaching local body elections.
Nevertheless, there is also a section that believes the leadership avoided demanding Mamkoottathil’s resignation to neither completely alienate him nor antagonise the influential Shafi Parambil. Shafi, the only prominent leader to publicly echo Mamkoottathil’s defense—that he had done nothing illegal and faced no official complaint or case—has long been his key backer. As KPCC working president, Shafi played a pivotal role in elevating Rahul first as Youth Congress state president and later as the party’s MLA candidate from Palakkad. Known for his strong hold over the Youth Congress and KSU and considered one of the party’s most charismatic leaders in the state, Shafi also faced backlash for allegedly shielding Rahul.
'No complaints received'
KPCC president Sunny Joseph, while announcing Rahul Mamkoottathil’s suspension today, insisted that the leadership had not received a single complaint against the Palakkad MLA. This stands in contrast to actress Rini Ann George’s statement that she had lodged complaints with senior KPCC members about the inappropriate behaviour of a young political leader. There are also rumours of other complaints. Still, the KPCC chief maintained he had not received any written or oral complaint against Mamkoottathil from any woman to date.
Opposition leader V. D. Satheesan also sidestepped questions on whether complaints had reached the leadership, but argued that Congress had taken “the biggest possible decision that a political movement can make after examining the issue.” He added, “It is a courageous decision that no political party in Kerala has ever taken. The media should acknowledge and appreciate that while reporting.”
The KPCC has since worked hard to frame the suspension as the boldest step taken in Kerala politics—something they claim neither the CPI(M) nor the BJP would dare attempt. To counter LDF criticism, Congress has been pointing to the CPI(M)’s decision not to ask Kollam MLA M. Mukesh to step down despite a rape case against him.
However, political observers such as Adv. A. Jayashankar believe the move could backfire. He argues that the leadership should have immediately sought Mamkoottathil’s resignation. “Otherwise, what is the use? Resigning after six months—what’s the point? There is a timing to resignation. That is very important,” he said.
Jayashankar drew parallels with the Ice Cream Parlour row in 2004, when then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy failed to secure the immediate resignation of IUML leader and Industries Minister P.K. Kunjalikutty. “Even though Kunjalikutty was later acquitted after key witness Regina retracted her statement, the controversy had already damaged the moral foundation of the Chandy government and hurt the UDF in the subsequent election,” he said.
“What is happening now is similar,” Jayashankar warned. “The CPI(M) has already been demoralised and is facing strong anti-incumbency. But these developments are shifting focus from anti-government sentiment to anti-opposition sentiment.” The political observer also pointed out that the controversy could have a significant impact on women voters across the state—a key demographic the UDF needs to win back power.
Jaishankar also pointed out several strategic missteps by the Congress leadership in handling the controversy. He noted that the leadership itself allowed space for the idea that Rahul should resign from his MLA post. On August 23, as pressure mounted, opposition leader V.D. Satheesan announced that the party would “seriously examine” the complaint against Rahul Mamkoottathil and take “uncompromising action.” He added, “As the first step, he resigned from the Youth Congress president’s post within 24 hours, even though no formal complaint had been received. As per procedure, the party will investigate the matter.”
However, when questioned today, both the KPCC president and the opposition leader avoided speaking about any party-level investigation.
Satheesan’s earlier remarks—interpreted by many as a signal that the leadership might eventually demand Rahul’s resignation—fuelled demands from several leaders, particularly senior women leaders, that Rahul step down as MLA. Since then, these women leaders have been targeted on social media, often by accounts openly claiming to support Rahul.
Many observers believe that, after letting the debate on resignation play out so publicly, the six-month suspension now announced is too weak to shift public perception in the party’s favour—despite the leadership’s attempts to present it as a bold and decisive step.