Congress resolves to ensure Mamkootathil’s attendance as an ‘unattached member’ in Kerala Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram The Congress appeared resolved on Monday to ensure the attendance of Palakkad legislator Rahul Mamkootathil in the Kerala Assembly session scheduled to commence on September 15 despite political threats to boycott him. 

The pivot seemingly in Mr Mamkootathil’s favour comes in the wake of several top Congress leaders concluding that the legislator is the victim of a political witch-hunt in the absence of any specific complaint or first information statement against the young leader. 

The latest Congress tack on the Mamkootathil issue seemingly signals an abandonment of its earlier hard-line position, which was that the leader should resign his Palakkad seat on moral and ethical grounds —a demand strongly voiced by the party’s women leaders, who seemingly risked being overruled.

United Democratic Front (UDF) convener Adoor Prakash stated that the Congress has no position on whether the Palakkad MLA should stay away from the Assembly. “His suspension is temporary. Currently, there is no circumstance warranting more stringent action, given the absence of specific complaints,” he said.

Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Muraleedharan said Mr. Mamkootathil would remain an “unattached member” in the Assembly. “Mr. Mamkootathil’s name will definitely not be on the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) list. The onus is on the Speaker to decide the seating arrangement of the Palakkad MLA and whether he can make submissions or participate in the Question Hour. Mr Mamkootathil will not be on the list of Congress or United Democratic Front (UDF) speakers in the upcoming session,” he said.

Mr. Adoor and Mr. Muraleedharan cautioned the ruling front against infringing upon Mr. Mamkootathil’s constitutional rights as an elected representative. Both leaders stated they would highlight the alleged felonies of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders, including an MLA, who are facing trial in sexual misconduct cases.

Meanwhile, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State president V.K. Sanoj reaffirmed the left youth organisation’s determination to deter Mr. Mamkootathil from attending the Assembly. “The people do not want the discredited sexual predator in the Assembly or in his constituency in Palakkad,” he said.