Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee panel to probe allegations against Rahul Mamkootathil

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) will form a panel to inquire into the veracity of the allegations of sexual misconduct against the party’s Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. 

KPCC disciplinary committee chairperson Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told The Hindu that the party’s national leadership would announce the composition of the inquiry panel. 

Another Congress insider said the All India Congress Committee (AICC) had taken serious cognisance of the imputations of the alleged improper behaviour swirling around Mr. Mamkootathil.

He said the panel would attempt to examine the veracity of the accusations of unsolicited, salacious WhatsApp messaging.

Renewed criticism

Meanwhile, Mr. Mamkootathil faced renewed criticism on Friday, with a woman writer complaining to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that she was the target of an online smear campaign and cyberattacks for coming on record about the legislator’s allegedly improper behaviour. 

Meanwhile, the KPCC reportedly viewed the accusations against Mr. Mamkootathil as coming at a politically inopportune moment for the party when its campaign highlighting alleged financial shenanigans supposedly involving the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leadership and a U.K.-based businessperson seemed to be gaining momentum.

Moreover, the KPCC felt that the controversy had moved the spotlight away from the government’s “failures” in various sectors, including stalled projects, roads in disrepair and a poor state of affairs at public hospitals, among other issues.