Thiruvananthapuram, 26 August(HS): The la affaire Rahul Mamkoottathil, Congress leader and MLA, who is alleged to have committed several sexual violence against young girls and boys, refuse to take a backseat in social, cultural and political stage of Kerala. While the CPI(M) leaders are soft-pedalling the controversy for obvious reasons, the BJP is firing on all cylinders, demanding the resignation of the predator from the post of a member of the legislative assembly.

Late Monday evening saw activists belonging to Mahila Morchha, the women’s wing of the Hindutva party, staging rallies across the State demanding the ouster of Mamkoottathil from the Assembly. Males made up as roosters and bulls were made to walk in front of parades with the tag Mamkoottathil tied on their neck, while the female activists symbolically flagged them with canes and sticks.

In Palakkad, the rally a bull was made up as Mamkoottahil was made to walk in front while the lady leaders and activists of the Morchha caned him. The Mamkoottathil bull did not let the onlookers down as it went to the weaker sex among the crowd and started pulling their churidars and kurtas.

Mini Krishnakumar, senior member, Palakkad Municipal Council and the BJP’s livewire who led the demonstration, said that Rahul Mamkoottathil, like his leaders in the Congress, was a blot on the face of Kerala. “This man has got to go. Complaints are pouring in every day against him, and at no point in time have we seen a character like this,” said Mini while addressing a public meeting on Tuesday.

Morcha activists in Kollam dressed up a person as a rooster and made him walk in front of the demonstration staged by them. The rooster Rahul “entertained” the audience by charging into the women’s gathering and attacking them in true Mamkoottathil style evoking laughter and fun from all walks of people.

This is the first rally of this kind staged in the State against a political leader. Though there were similar allegations against P T Chacko, a Minister for Home in the Pattom Thanupillai-led government in early 1960s, the timely interventions of the Congress High Command saved the day for the party,

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti