Kerala MLA Rahul Mamkootathil Resigns As Youth Cong President

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil on Thursday resigned as Youth Congress Kerala state president following allegations of misconduct.

Speaking to reporters, Rahul stated that no one had asked him to step down. "I have not committed any act that violates the law or the Constitution. No formal complaints have been filed against me either. However, I am resigning from the post of Youth Congress president, and I will prove my innocence," he said.

"I have stepped down because I have done nothing wrong. But it is not the responsibility of Congress workers to defend me, and I don't want them to engage in it. The responsibility to prove my innocence lies with me and not with them. Every Congress worker, including myself, should focus on exposing the wrongdoings of the LDF Government," he said.

The Youth Congress leader faced criticism after a phone conversation allegedly featuring him pressuring a woman to terminate her pregnancy surfaced in the public domain on Thursday. The recorded telephone conversation was aired on Malayalam news channels, where Rahul was reportedly heard persuading a woman to undergo an abortion.

On Wednesday, a Malayalam actor, Rini Ann George, accused an unnamed political leader of sending her offensive messages repeatedly. She claimed that the leader once invited her to a hotel, and when she threatened to complain to the party leadership, he dared her to do so.

"Once he told me he would book a room in a five-star hotel and asked me to join him. I responded angrily. After that, he didn't bother me for a while, but sometime later, he raised the demand again. Many women have had similar experiences with him," she said.

Despite complaints against the leader, he continued to receive opportunities in the party, she alleged.

When confronted by media persons with the actor's allegations, the Palakkad MLA said, "She has not mentioned anyone by name. She hasn't said my name or anyone else's. She is a good friend."

Rahul faced further trouble after writer Honey Bhaskaran publicly named him. In a Facebook post, she alleged that Rahul had been repeatedly sending her unsolicited messages on social media. Initially, the conversations were about travel, but he persisted, forcing her to cut off contact.

Honey claimed that Rahul had misrepresented her conversations to others in a derogatory manner. "People need to know the psycho in you who goes around messaging women and then portraying them badly among perverts. This post is to expose this," she wrote on social media.

She also alleged that many other women in the Youth Congress had raised similar complaints, but no action had been taken so far.

Rahul, on the other hand, dared Honey to prove the allegations. " She will have to prove that I have done anything illegal. The evidence presented by her is incomplete. The screenshot of a chat depicted an image of Sri Lanka and a white heart - why has she not revealed what is written below? If a conversation between two people is considered wrong, then what she did would also be considered the same way, he said.

The MLA challenged Honey to substantiate her claim that he spoke in a derogatory manner. "She needs to prove that. Does she have a complaint? She should also present evidence that I misbehaved with any other woman. Instead of raising unsubstantiated allegations, let her provide the evidence. Anyone can make such allegations," Rahul said.

Opposition leader in Kerala Assembly V D Satheshan assured that the Congress would take stringent action against any leader facing serious allegations. We will take strong action without any favour in case allegations against any leader surface in the public domain, he said.

Meanwhile, the CPM and BJP youth wings held protest marches across the state demanding Rahul's resignation from legislative assembly.