Rahul Mamkootathil attends Kerala Assembly session; rejects Satheesan’s stance

Amidst the storm of controversy following multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him, Rahul Mamkootathil, the suspended Congress MLA from Palakkad, marked his presence in the 14th session of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly that began on Monday.

Suspended from the Congress Parliamentary Party, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer allotted him a seat as an independent MLA, separate from the UDF block, following a request from Opposition leader V D Satheesan. While the party had not directed him to stay away from Assembly session, reports suggest that Satheesan had conveyed his reservations about his participation.

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There was little visible reaction from other members when he entered, even as the House was paying tribute to former chief minister V S Achuthanandan, former Speaker PP Thankachan and and Peerumedu MLA Vazhoor Soman, who passed away recently .

Speaker A N Shamseer, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and other party leaders recalled the contributions of the departed leaders and how they played a significant role in the socio-political scenario of the state.

Meanwhile,a group of SFI workers blocked Rahul Mamkootathil’s car as it proceeded from the MLA quarters to the Kerala Legislative Assembly complex. Police intervened and removed the SFI workers from the road, allowing normal movement to resume.

Rahul had been staying away from public life at his home in Adoor after the allegations and the subsequent party action. It has been reported that Rahul will participate in the Assembly session in the coming days also. He will also be active in his constituency –Palakkad . It is reported that he will participate in public programmes in Palakkad on Saturday.

Meanwhile, DYFI and BJP have made it clear that Rahul will not be allowed to participate in the public programmes in Palakkad

The LDF members did not raise a protest against Rahul in the assembly on Monday as it was a day of mourning.They are likely to raise questions on the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against Rahul Mamkootathilin the coming days . A Special Investigation (SIT) of the Kerala Crime Branch has begun investigating the allegations against Rahul.

Rahul Mamkootathil resigned as Youth Congress state president after Malayalam actor Rini Ann George accused “a young leader” of a major political party of misbehaviour, sparking protests by the BJP and the DYFI, youth wing of CPI-M . The Congress suspended him in August, but he retained his Assembly seat.