Fall from grace: A Kerala story
When the crowd stoned Mary Magdalene, Jesus did not say, "Don't throw stones," but, "Let those who have not sinned cast stones." It would be impossible to find someone who has not sinned either intentionally or not. However, while living in a society, one dares not commit wrong because of the words of elders, defamation, and fear of the courts. These factors restrain a person from taking the wrong path. It also helps in carving out the character of a person.
It is expected of people engaged in public work to be role models for society. If they stoop to uncivilised and immoral acts, society will be the first to throw stones at them. If the same people who were appointed to lead the people chose to walk the wrong path, the people have no other option but to abandon them. That is what happened in the case of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. It is for the court to decide whether he is guilty or not. However, until then, no society or party should empathise with him nor shelter him. Considering this, the Congress's move to expel Rahul Mamkootathil from the party is praiseworthy.
Political parties do not take action based on the nature of the crime committed. The prevailing political situation and context motivate them to take action more than anything else. In any case, Congress leaders can boast about the action they took against the Palakkad MLA in the upcoming election campaigning and can even train guns at their nemesis, CPM, for their failure to even raise a finger against those CPM leaders facing sexual assault allegations.
The results of the Panchayat elections will prove how relevant or irrelevant all the criticisms and responses were. With the conclusion of the Panchayat elections, the discussion on the issue of Rahul Mamkootathil is likely to die down. However, the Sabarimala gold theft issue will continue to capture headlines. That, in turn, will only intensify as the assembly elections approach.
The upcoming generation of aspiring politicians in Kerala can take Rahul’s fall from grace as a case study to not take that route if the intent is political longevity.