PALAKKAD/THIRUVANTHAPURAM: Disgraced MLA Rahul Mamkootathil is likely to seek reelection from Palakkad, even as an independent if denied a Congress ticket, in the coming assembly elections, sources close to him said. Meanwhile, the UDF has decided to oppose any move to disqualify Rahul, ousted by the Congress, from the state assembly.
Sources said two separate surveys--one conducted before and the other after the local body polls--in the Palakkad constituency showed Rahul enjoying a clear edge even if he were to contest as an independent. The surveys were carried out by his supporters under the guidance of a senior and influential Congress leader, they said.
However, senior party leaders ruled out fielding Rahul as an official UDF candidate in any constituency while the cases remain pending. A senior KPCC functionary said the party’s stand is firm for now, but did not rule out a reconsideration if Rahul is later acquitted. “He continues to express loyalty to the party and has asserted that he will abide by leadership’s decisions,” he said.
A PR agency has already been roped in for Rahul’s image makeover, and this may eventually put pressure on the Congress leadership to reconsider its stand, the leader said.
In the meantime, the UDF parliamentary party decided to oppose any attempt to strip Rahul of his MLA status, arguing that disqualification before conviction would set a dangerous political and legislative precedent.
“We took this position not to support Rahul,” said a Congress MLA. “It is not about Rahul. A House committee cannot recommend the disqualification of an MLA merely because he is an accused. The crime has to be established, and a court of law must deliver the verdict,” he said.
If allowed, it would set a precedent that could be used against any member of the assembly in the future, he said.
CPM MLA D K Murali has submitted a complaint to the speaker seeking Rahul’s disqualification. The Privileges and Ethics Committee will hear Murali on February 23, and later Rahul. After the hearings, the committee will deliberate and submit its recommendations to the speaker, with the assembly taking a final call.
The LDF accused the Congress of a double standard on ethics by supporting Rahul. “He was expelled from the party, but now they want him shielded from disqualification,” said a CPM MLA.
Chaired by CPM’s Murali Perunelly, the nine-member committee has only two Opposition members: Roji M John and U A Latheef. “The committee protects members’ privileges and the dignity of the Assembly. We do not disqualify members ourselves; we submit recommendations to the Speaker,” Murali said.