Thiruvananthapuram | Congress leaders on Thursday welcomed the expulsion of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil from the party and urged him to resign from his Assembly seat as well.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph said the expulsion was carried out with the approval of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

He said the slight delay in action was due to procedural requirements.

“It would be appropriate for him to resign as MLA. Since he is out of the party now, he has to take that decision. We consulted all party leaders and took a united decision,” he said.

Dismissing concerns about any impact on the upcoming local body elections, Joseph said the party's swift disciplinary action would prevent political damage.

“When the allegation first surfaced, he was removed from the Youth Congress president post and suspended. His actions affected the image of the party, but corrective steps have been taken,” he said.

UDF convenor Adoor Prakash said the decision to expel Mamkoottathil had the full support of party leaders.

“We had already sidelined him from the parliamentary party. Now the KPCC president has announced that he is ousted. We all accept it,” Prakash said.

He added that there was no justification for Mamkoottathil continuing as MLA.

“He was elected in the Congress name. Considering the situation, he should step down voluntarily,” he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, also welcomed the expulsion and alleged that the Chief Minister's Office had prior knowledge of the impending complaint.

“If they knew the complaint was coming, they should have taken steps to prevent him from escaping. Their interest is not in arresting the accused but in dragging the issue until the elections to hide other matters like gold smuggling and misgovernance,” he said.

“A model decision was taken by the party. We are proud of it. Now CPI(M) must clarify whether the allegations against their leaders will be forwarded to the police,” he added.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said Congress took the strongest and fastest action possible.

“This is the quickest disciplinary decision by any party. In similar situations, most parties do nothing,” he said.

MP Jebi Mather said the decision was timely and echoed the party's commitment to women.

“No internal commission was formed to delay matters. Congress's stand is strong, stern, and in support of women,” she said.

Senior leader Ramesh Chennithala said he had demanded the expulsion as soon as the allegation emerged.

“His actions were unbecoming of a Congress leader. The party has taken a step no other political party in the state has taken,” he said.

Congress leader Shanimol Usman said the party had taken a strong stand from the beginning.

“The decision is correct, and we support it,” she said.

K Muraleedharan said if Mamkoottathil values ethics, he should resign immediately.

“No one should defend a person expelled from the party. Now, the Speaker should take necessary action,” he said.

He added that Mamkoottathil had failed to uphold the behaviour expected of a public representative.