THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of the arrest of MLA Rahul Mamkootathil on a rape complaint, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer said his continuation as a legislator sends a wrong message and that legal opinion will be sought on disqualifying the Palakkad MLA.
Interacting with the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Shamseer said matters about the serious allegations against Rahul would be examined by the ethics and privileges committee of the Assembly. He said Rahul clinging to the MLA post despite a series of grave complaints being levelled against him conveys the wrong message to society.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty demanded Rahul’s resignation, stating that the accused’s reluctance to step down would be seen as the Congress party’s endorsement of his alleged crimes. He said an MLA getting entangled in rape cases is a disgrace to the democratic set-up.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan said Rahul has the full backing of the Congress and will return to organisational activities once he secures bail.
“The public should know that these are the qualities one should possess to become a Youth Congress state president or an MLA,” he said.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, however, said the law should take its own course in the complaints against Rahul. He said the party had acted even before a formal complaint was filed.
“When the KPCC president received a complaint, he was removed from the party. Since he is no longer in the Congress, the party does not have the authority to seek his resignation as MLA,” Satheesan said.