No probe, Cong asks Rahul Mamkootathil to come out clean on his own

T'puram: The state Congress leadership believes there is no need for a party probe into the allegations levelled against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. Instead, the KPCC has asked Mamkootathil to come out clean on his own.The AICC leadership has also supported the view of the KPCC on the issue. The state party leadership considers the issue a closed chapter with his suspension from party's primary membership. Even though a section of the leaders demanded an inquiry against Mamkootathil, they have now withdrawn the demand following his suspension.Though Mamkootathil held discussions with the leaders when the allegations came up, his explanations haven't convinced the party leadership. He had spoken to almost all senior leaders of the party in the past two days. However, the leaders believe the explanation given by him was not convincing, and he was not ready to deny the allegations raised against him. The leadership went on to take a harsh action because Mamkootathil was not ready to refute the allegations in public. Apart from this, the leadership also doubted that there were chances of more such serious allegations coming up against him. Hence, to prevent further damage to the party, the party decided to suspend the MLA from the party.However, the leaders who still support Mamkootathil suspect a well-planned conspiracy regarding these allegations and its timing. But the party leadership was not ready to concede to this angle and told them to let the MLA come out clean on his own. The party leaders have also given enough hints that he will return to the party if he proves his innocence. Hence, it is certain that the doors of the Congress have not been permanently shut on Mamkootathil. The party has also decided not to support Mamkootathil if there is any kind of police investigation into the allegations against him or if he faces any kind of legal actions. Apart from this, the Congress parliamentary party will be giving a letter to the speaker informing about the expulsion of Mamkootathil. Even though the party has asked Mamkootathil to stay away from the assembly session, it is up to him to take a decision on this. Allegations politically motivated, says transgender activistMeanwhile, Transgender Congress state vice-president Anna Raju said on Tuesday that the allegation raised by transwoman Avanthika against Mamkootathil was politically motivated. Anna told reporters in Kochi that Avanthika made the allegations after consulting with BJP leaders. "Avanthika claims that Mamkootathil chatted with her three years ago. During that time, both Avanthika and I were living in the same house. I was with Avanthika when Mamkootathil called or messaged. He did not behave badly with Avanthika. There was no misconduct from Mamkootathil towards the transgender community. He and Avanthika were good friends. Avanthika and I participated together in several protest programmes on various issues. If Mamkootathil did something wrong, she could have reacted then," Anna said.The Transgender Protection Act by the central govt has been in place since 2019. Why did Avanthika wait until Rahul became an MLA to raise the allegation?, she asked.