Kochi (Kerala) [India], August 21 : Amid chaos over allegations of obscene conduct against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Thursday strongly protested outside the residence of senior Congress leader VD Satheesan.
VD Satheesan is the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Kerala legislative assembly.
This comes after Malayalam actor Rini Ann George and writer Honey Bhaskaran levelled allegations of obscene conduct against Rahul Mamkootathil, who is an MLA from the Palakkad assembly constituency, as claimed by the DYFI, the youth wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Similarly, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha also took out a protest march towards the residence of VD Satheesan.
Earlier in the day, Mamkootathil resigned from his position as the Kerala Youth Congress President.
The allegations of "obscene conduct" by Mamkootathil have been levelled by writer Honey Bhaskaran and model Rini Ann George. Both women have accused the Congress MLA of sending inappropriate messages and engaging in obscene conduct.
As this happened, Satheesan addressed allegations of obscene conduct against Congress MLA Mamkootathil. He assured a thorough investigation by the Congress, emphasising that no leniency will be shown if the allegations are found to be serious.
"The party will look into the allegations. We will check the gravity of the allegations. If it is very serious, we will take necessary action. There is a procedure; he will get an opportunity to present his side. Then only will we make a decision. We will make a decision immediately; there won't be any delay. There are no complaints before the party. If someone is making any allegation, we will look into it. We will take it very seriously, we will take proper action, there will be no mercy," he said.
Meanwhile, Mahila Congress leader Bindu Krishna said, "Mahila Congress has conveyed its stance to the party. It is for the party to respond, and the party will take an appropriate decision. I have not received any complaint against Rahul Mamkootathil earlier. No girl should ever face such an experience. No girl should have to suffer unpleasant experiences in cyberspace either."
Earlier, Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty demanded Mamkootathil's resignation from the MLA post amid allegations of obscene conduct.
"If the accused is a public representative, he should resign from that position," Sivankutty said while adding, "There is a controversial issue that has been discussed in the public sector in Kerala for the past two days."
Sivankutty said that the top leaders of the party, who have been informed about the incident, have an obligation to report the crime to the police, as per the law.
"Those leaders have some legal responsibilities. According to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), if any person comes to know about a crime, they are obliged to report it to the police. Not reporting serious crimes to the police is a violation of the law. The government will take fair action in this matter. All assistance will be provided to women to file complaints. The law guarantees that it will take its course," he added.
Honey Bhaskaran alleged in a Facebook post that Rahul Mamkootathil messaged her on her social media account. She said initially it was about travel, and she responded to it, but there was a series of messages from him. When she realised he had no intention of stopping, she stopped responding to his messages. She said that she got to know through Youth Congress workers that he had badmouthed her, and that she had initiated the conversation.
These charges came shortly after Actress and model Rini Ann George accused the Congress MLA of sending her offensive messages on multiple occasions and inviting her to a hotel. George stated that when she threatened to inform his party, the leader challenged her to do so. She did not disclose the leader's name or party.
George claimed she had told the party leadership about the incident, alleging that wives and daughters of several politicians had faced similar experiences with the leader.
She further alleged that despite her complaint, the leader continued to receive opportunities within the party. George said she decided to speak out after seeing similar allegations by other women on social media, many of whom remained silent.
"I decided to speak as I saw recently on social media that many women have faced similar issues. None of these women are speaking a word about it. So I thought of speaking for all," she added.
On Wednesday, BJP also staged a protest march to the office of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil, demanding his resignation.