‘Not our responsibility anymore’: Congress on Rahul Mamkootathil arrest row

The Indian National Congress on Sunday firmly distanced itself from MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, arrested in a sexual assault case, asserting that he had been expelled from the party well before the case reached its current stage.

Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan said the party acted decisively after recognising Mamkootathil’s alleged misconduct. “Once he was expelled, he ceased to be our responsibility. The Congress is not answerable for his actions anymore,” he said, adding that the party had deployed its “Brahmastra” at the appropriate time.

Muraleedharan rejected attempts to link the Congress to Mamkootathil’s present situation, even though he was elected on a Congress ticket. “We found him unfit to be with us and removed him. What he did thereafter has nothing to do with the party,” he said, stressing that further action now lay with the government and police. Reiterating the party’s stand, he said the Congress had never defended wrongdoing and did not shield “gold thieves or womanisers”.

On the question of Mamkootathil continuing as an MLA, Muraleedharan said he should have resigned earlier but clarified that the party could no longer demand his resignation or issue a whip, as he was no longer a member.

Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan declined to respond to allegations by Left leaders, saying they should first introspect about similar cases within their own ranks.

He said the Congress had no authority to seek Mamkootathil’s resignation at present, reiterating that the law must take its own course. Satheesan added that Mamkootathil’s suspension and expulsion were collective party decisions taken at the right time.

Also read: Promise of marriage, rape, demand for a child, abortion; Rahul’s cruelty the same in all 3 cases

The Left Democratic Front (LDF), however, continued to attack the Congress. LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan termed the expulsion a “face-saving exercise, while CPI(M) leaders alleged moral decay within the party.

BJP workers staged a protest when expelled Mamkootathil was taken to the Pathanamthitta General Hospital for a medical examination. 

The demonstration erupted as a Crime Branch team brought him to the hospital after his arrest.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were also drawn into the political slugfest, with Congress leaders countering that the Left had allowed leaders facing similar allegations to contest elections.

Meanwhile, allies, including the Muslim League, said Mamkootathil was now an individual with no Congress association and must face the allegations on his own, as political tempers continued to rise over the case.