Palakkad: Congress MLA for Palakkad, Rahul Mamkootathil, on Monday refused to directly comment on the newly emerged audio clip and WhatsApp chats that allege he coerced a woman into conception and later forced an abortion. Speaking to the media, the MLA maintained that the clip contains "nothing new" and said he would comment further only after a key stage of the ongoing investigation is complete.

Rahul consistently dodged specific questions regarding the audio's authenticity and the seriousness of the allegations. When questioned about the leaked message, his counter-question was, "What is there in it?"

He reiterated his position on the long-running controversy, "Isn't this the same thing that is being discussed back and forth for the last three months? Nothing new has been said. I have only the same things to say today that I have been saying for three months."

The MLA stressed that his focus is on legal recourse, not media trials, asserting that he will prove his innocence in court.

"I have not done any act against any law in this country. I have the right to proceed legally... I will decide when to prove my innocence. I will decide when to bring clarity," he replied to a query by media persons on whether the public should be clarified, especially as the video emerged when the audio clip surfaced at a time when local body elections are around.

He expressed frustration at the media's handling of the release, "You release a voice note saying it is mine with my photo, instead of calling me and asking if that voice is mine. Then asking me if it is real does not seem necessary to me."

The latest audio recording and chats are alleged to be a continuation of a previously leaked clip that had earlier led to him being temporarily sidelined by his party.

The audio contains a conversation where the woman claims the MLA first coerced her into conceiving and then later forced her to undergo an abortion.

This new voice clip comes right after Rahul Mamkootathil became active in the local body election campaign, adding a political dimension to the renewed controversy.