Rahul Mamkoottathil case puts Congress leadership in crisis as leaders demand resignation

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress leadership in Kerala finds itself in an embarrassing retreat over the Rahul Mamkoottathil controversy. What began as a show of defence has quickly turned into a desperate attempt at damage control.

Rahul faces grave allegations from multiple women, including rape under the pretext of marriage, forced abortion, and misconduct. Yet, when the charges first surfaced, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan rushed to defend him, declaring that no complaints had been received and assuring that any allegation would be investigated. But as more women came forward, Satheesan made a swift U-turn, becoming the first to urge the AICC to seek Rahul’s resignation. The shift revealed not conviction, but convenience, a calculated move to protect his own credibility as the scandal deepened.

Ramesh Chennithala soon followed, instructing KPCC president Sunny Joseph to demand Rahul’s resignation. Sunny, who initially insisted that neither he nor the KPCC had received complaints, also backtracked once the tide turned. T N Prathapan joined the call for Rahul’s exit. The pattern is unmistakable: leaders who once shielded Rahul abandoned him only when public outrage made it impossible to continue their defence. Their stance was driven less by principle and more by fear of political backlash.

The claim that no complaints ever reached higher authorities has now collapsed. AICC itself has reportedly received a complaint from the daughter of a former Congress MP, alleging that Rahul backed out of marriage citing caste differences, leaving her devastated. This was reported by The Week, exposing the party’s claims of ignorance as false. Even K C Venugopal’s wife, Dr K Asha, in a now -deleted Facebook post, expressed alarm at the steady flow of disturbing revelations, noting that women were genuinely terrified and actively discussing the matter.

Worse still, a leaked audio recording has emerged in which Rahul allegedly threatens a victim and her unborn child with death. The gravity of this cannot be overstated. Leaders like Shanimol Usman have now openly asked Rahul to step away from mainstream politics, while Joseph Vazhakkan argued that the Congress should not carry the burden of another’s wrongs and demanded his immediate resignation. Uma Thomas added that Rahul cannot be allowed to remain an MLA.

The ripple effects have spread beyond the Congress. The Muslim League too has demanded Rahul’s resignation. Palakkad DCC president A Thankappan bluntly remarked that Rahul had made mistakes and must face the consequences.

What is exposed here is not just one man’s alleged crimes, but the Congress leadership’s moral bankruptcy in handling them. Their shifting stances reveal that the party’s priority is not justice for victims but protection of its own image. By shielding Rahul initially and then abandoning him under pressure, the leadership has shown an instinct for expediency over integrity.

The Congress in Kerala cannot claim to stand for values while treating women’s safety as expendable in the face of political calculations. Damage control may save some faces for now, but the scars of this episode will run far deeper.