Youth Congress leader who dared to criticise Pinarayi Vijayan, most popular leader in UDF Cyberspace; Rise and Fall of Rahul Mamkootathil

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Rahul Mamkootathil's growth was astonishing. His fall was even faster. Even those who had always supported Rahul in his growth could only watch helplessly as he fell.

Rahul was the Congress member who dared to call Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, whom his opponents were afraid to criticise, 'abyanthara vazha' and 'Edo Vijaya', and to address Minister Mohammed Riyaz as Marumon Cherukkan (Son-in-law boy). There are many Congressmen who saw Rahul as the future Chief Minister. They also demanded that the 'old' leaders should be replaced and young leaders like Rahul, Shafi Parambil, and Vishnunath should be given the leadership of the party. Although some senior leaders came out to target Rahul and say that he should be real in person, not in reels, all of that faded in the 'Rahul image'.

Rahul became the face of the Congress in channel discussions with his eloquence. Keralites have seen many times that even top leaders of the CPM were unable to defend Rahul's words. Rahul showed courage in his speeches as well as in channel discussions and criticised his opponents to the extreme. Saying that there was immorality behind the distribution of food packets by DYFI is just one example of this. Thus, Rahul assumed the role of the main fighter of the Congress in a short time. When leader K Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja joined the BJP, Rahul questioned Padmaja's paternity, shocking even senior Congress leaders. Yet no one was ready to question Rahul.

Rahul was promoted to the state president of the Youth Congress after Shafi Parambil. Although he rose to the position of state president through a series of defamations, all of that paled in comparison to his image. Rahul managed to dismiss it as a 'mere allegation' raised by his opponents. Although cases and investigations were conducted, Rahul could not be found guilty of any of them.

It was then that Rahul was arrested from his home at night for violence during a Youth Congress Secretariat march. The case and the jail term significantly increased Rahul's political mileage. Even the CPM members criticised the police and the government for making him a 'prominent figure' by arresting him. Despite rising to prominence, Rahul did not get a chance to contest the elections. Although he was promised to be made a candidate from the Aranmula constituency in the last assembly elections, he lost it between his lips and his cup. Rahul made up for that missed chance in the Palakkad by-election.

When Shafi Parambil left Palakkad to become an MP for Vadakara, he had only one name to suggest as his replacement. That was Rahul Mamkootathil. It was Rahul's arrival in Palakkad that caused Sarin, another young face in the Congress, to leave the party and contest as a candidate from the opposite camp. This entry to Palakkad was with the blessings of Opposition Leader VD Satheesan and the then KPCC President K Sudhakaran.

After overcoming all the challenges and securing a huge majority, Rahul leapt to the top, surpassing all the young leaders. At one point, many wondered if Rahul's growth had not aroused envy even in Shafi. With the huge victory in Palakkad, Rahul got the reins of the young Turks in VD Satheesan's team, who planned the party's victory strategies. Until the sexual allegations surfaced, Rahul had a place in VD Satheesan's good book. After the Palakkad victory, VD Satheesan described Rahul as a protest leader who conquered hearts. Rahul turned the blue trolleybag controversy raised by the CPM during the election campaign into a means to increase his majority.

Rahul started using social media skillfully with the election for the post of Youth Congress president. Rahul paid special attention to filling the entire social media with his name. Close friends like Fenni Ninan helped Rahul in this. Whether Fenni's candidacy in the local elections was a reward for this remains to be disclosed. With criticism and ridicule, Rahul became the leader with the most fans in the UDF cyberspace.

Rahul and his team won over the hearts of the youth after changing the name of Congressmen to those who wear torn clothes and adopting a 'Gen Z' look. Although there was criticism that Rahul carried dozens of washed shirts and t-shirts with him and visited the beauty parlour once a week, he turned all that into a fertiliser for growth.

However, in the end, everything turned upside down in a snap. The chats on social media, which were once the fuel for Rahul's political growth, led to his downfall as well. Will Rahul have another rise? It seems unlikely.