Congress protecting Rahul Mamkootathil from arrest: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday accused the Congress of protecting its expelled MLA Rahul Mamkootathil from arrest and said that the police were taking effective steps to apprehend the legislator, who is facing allegations of sexual assault from multiple women.

Vijayan also said that there were other legislators in the Congress who faced similar allegations or were jailed for other offences, but were still continuing in the party.

''Eldhose Kunnappilly and M Vincent are still in the party,'' he said at a press meet here.

Congress MLAs Vincent and Kunnappilly have also faced sexual assault accusations.

He was responding to the Congress party's contention that while it took action against Mamkootathil, the CPI(M) has not taken any steps in connection with its leaders accused of irregularities in connection with the gold plating of artefacts in Sabarimala or MLA M Mukesh, who is facing rape charges.

The Congress has claimed that the Left government was not interested in arresting Mamkoottathil so as to keep the issue alive during the local body polls.

Hitting back at the grand old party, the CM alleged it was the Congress that was protecting its expelled MLA from arrest.

Mamkootathil, who is accused of rape, was expelled from the primary membership of Congress on Thursday, shortly after a local court in Thiruvananthapuram dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.

Vijayan also said that the CPI(M) had made it clear much earlier that it was not going to protect anyone involved in the Sabarimala gold loss issue, and that is its stand even now.

He said that the party and the government were satisfied with the probe being carried out into the alleged irregularities in Sabarimala by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court.

Regarding the Opposition UDF's allegation that CPI(M) MP John Brittas ''mediated'' an ''illicit'' relationship between the Left party and the BJP, Vijayan said that the legislator was only working in the interests of the state.

He said that before a Parliamentary session, a meeting of the MPs from the state is held and they were asked to work together in the interests of Kerala.

''That is what Brittas did and was doing in an effective manner,'' he said, adding ''that is what the other MPs from the state also expected to do''.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan, earlier in the day, contended that Congress claims of an illicit CPI(M)-BJP relationship have been proved by the recent revelation that CPI(M) MP John Brittas acted as intermediary for the signing of the PM SHRI memorandum of understanding (MoU) by the state government.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had recently remarked that Brittas had ''mediated'' the signing of the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) MoU by the Kerala government.

Following criticism from the opposition on the issue, the ruling CPI(M) and Brittas had claimed that he was only fulfilling his duty as an MP from the state in the interests of Kerala.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)