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Suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil says he remains loyal to party
It was the 35-year-old’s first public appearance in weeks as he remained at his home in Adoor in Pathanamthitta district following the allegations of misconduct. The MLA is accused of sending obscene messages to a woman actor and coercing another woman to abort her pregnancy
Kochi: Suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who is accused of sexual misconduct towards women, said on Monday that he remains loyal to his party despite his removal from its primary membership and that he expected no special consideration in the ongoing Crime Branch probe against him.
Mamkootathil, the MLA from Palakkad, was speaking to reporters after attending the first day of the 14th session of the Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram. The legislator was given a seat in one of the last benches of the Assembly after the Congress-led UDF informed the Speaker in writing that he was no longer part of its parliamentary grouping.
It was the 35-year-old’s first public appearance in weeks as he remained at his home in Adoor in Pathanamthitta district following the allegations of misconduct. The MLA is accused of sending obscene messages to a woman actor and coercing another woman to abort her pregnancy. Both women have reportedly declined to file formal police complaints, though the Crime Branch (CB) has kick-started a suo motu probe based on media reports.
Speaking to the press, the Palakkad MLA rejected reports that he had disobeyed party leaders’ directives to stay away from Assembly proceedings.
“As a party worker in the past too, I have never disobeyed the party’s directions even if they are in favour of me or against me. Even though I am suspended, I remain loyal to the Congress till my death. I am fully aware of how a party worker should behave when he remains suspended from the party. I have not tried to meet any leader, nor has any leader given me any orders,” Mamkootathil said.
The legislator declined to go into the specifics of the ongoing CB probe against him, but he said he would cooperate with it.
“I was 18 when I first went to jail for protesting against the CPI(M) government. So when a probe takes place, I do not expect any consideration from officers. Even though the government has the hunger to kill me and eat me alive, it has trust in the probe team. Let the investigation proceed,” he added, declining to comment further on the allegations against him.
According to reports, Mamkootathil is likely to return to his constituency of Palakkad this week to participate in public functions. At the same time, the CPI(M) and BJP have pledged to demonstrate against him if he enters the constituency.
