Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 27 (IANS) In a dramatic political twist, a sexual-exploitation complaint lodged by a woman against suspended Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil directly with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday has unexpectedly shifted the spotlight — offering a semblance of relief to the beleaguered ruling CPI-M, which has been facing intense embarrassment over the Sabarimala gold-heist case.

The ruling party has been under severe political and public scrutiny after two of its prominent figures — A. Padmakumar and N. Vasu, both former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) — were arrested by the High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the sensational gold theft at Sabarimala.

Both Padmakumar and Vasu are known close aides of Chief Minister Vijayan and CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan.

The Congress-led UDF has been vocally accusing the CPI-M of shielding Padmakumar, pointing out that despite the gravity of the allegations he has not been suspended.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan lashed out at Govindan for refusing to initiate action against Padmakumar, accusing the CPI-M of applying double standards and protecting its own leaders.

The fresh complaint against Mamkootathil, however, has redirected political conversations.

Sources confirmed that the complaint handed over to the Chief Minister has been forwarded to the Crime Branch, and a senior police officer has begun recording the complainant’s statement.

Reacting to the development, State Congress president and senior legislator Sunny Joseph reiterated that the party acted swiftly.

“Rahul was suspended immediately after the controversy emerged. A police case is registered, and a complaint has reportedly reached the Chief Minister. With the investigation ongoing, we trust the law to take its course,” he said.

Meanwhile, news of the complaint sparked protests in Palakkad, where irate CPI-M youth-wing workers marched to Mamkootathil’s locked constituency office, raising slogans demanding his resignation.

With the gold-heist case continuing to erode the CPI-M’s moral standing, and a sexual-exploitation complaint now roiling the Congress, Kerala’s political arena appears headed for a prolonged phase of accusations, counter-allegations and legal battles, with crucial local-body elections scheduled in two phases on December 9 and 11.

Meanwhile, Rahul is reported to be seeking legal advice on how to handle the complaint amid fears of a possible arrest.

–IANS

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