Congress suspends MLA Rahul Mamkootathil amid allegations of sexual harassment

The Congress has suspended its Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil from the party’s primary membership, said its Kerala unit chief Sunny Joseph on Monday (August 25).

The action by the party comes after serious allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment against Mamkootathil.

Allegations

A few days ago, Malayalam actress Rini Ann George, without mentioning any names, said a “young leader of a well-known political party” had misbehaved with her by sending her obscene messages and inviting her to a hotel.

The BJP and CPI(M) alleged that the actress was referring to Rahul Mamkootathil.

Another allegation was made against Mamkootathil, this time by a trans woman, who described how a normal friendship turned into a “disgusting experience” through messages she received from the politician.

Also Read: Kerala Youth Cong chief Rahul Mamkootathil steps down after actress raises allegations

She said she thought he was sexually frustrated because he had told her he wanted to “rape” her, and said they could go to Bengaluru or Hyderabad and do it, according to a report by indiatoday.in.

Yet another allegation against the Palakkad MLA was made by writer Honey Bhaskaran who said he got into her Instagram account uninvited and began a conversation about her trip to Sri Lanka.

Resigned as Youth Congress president

Rahul Mamkootathil had resigned as the president of the Youth Congress in Kerala on Thursday (August 21).

The 35-year-old won a bye-election in Palakkad constituency in November 2024. Being a good speaker, he was the Congress party’s spokesperson on TV.

Also Read: Kerala: Newly-elected Palakkad MLA says more people from BJP, other parties will join Congress

He began his political career with the Congress’s student wing Kerala Students’ Union (KSU), and held a couple of posts like the KSU Adoor president and state general secretary before becoming the Youth Congress state general secretary in 2023.