The Congress leadership in Kerala has suspended Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil from the party’s primary membership after allegations of sexual misconduct were raised against him, The Times of India reported.
Rahul fell into a major controversy after facing two separate allegations of misconduct. The first came from Malayalam actor Rini Ann George, who, without naming anyone, said that a ‘young leader’ from a prominent political party had misbehaved with her. Soon after, both the BJP and CPI(M) alleged that she was referring to Rahul Mamkootathil.
A second allegation surfaced soon after the first one. A trans woman claimed that what started as a normal friendship with the Congress MLA turned into a disturbing experience because of inappropriate messages she received from him.
“I think he is sexually frustrated because he said he wants to rape me. He said we can go to Bengaluru or Hyderabad and do it,” India Today quoted the woman as saying.
While several senior leaders had demanded that Rahul resign from his MLA post, the party stopped short of doing so, fearing the political setback of a bypoll in Palakkad, TOI reported.
Rahul had earlier stepped down as state Youth Congress president following the controversy. With the suspension, he also loses his membership in the Congress parliamentary party.
The party has also advised him to stay away from contesting the next Assembly elections.
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