Opposition parties demand resignation of CPM legislator Mukesh

Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: Veteran CPI leader Annie Raja, the Congress and the BJP have called for the resignation of actor and CPM legislator M. Mukesh from the Assembly over allegations of sexual harassment. He has refused to cooperate, terming the controversy a political drama and called for a transparent investigation.

“People in positions of power should resign to be investigated. Otherwise, it may lead to the public questioning the integrity of the investigation. The government must ensure that such doubts are not sown,” said Annie Raja.

If Mukesh does not resign, he should be removed from office to allow for a fair investigation. Annie Raja argued that the mass resignation of AMMA, the film stars’ association, was inevitable. She expressed her hope that this collective resignation would catalyse a profound transformation within the film industry.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan and BJP state president K Surendran said Mukesh should resign as MLA. “The Kerala society is watching closely to see how he and his party will respond,” Surendran said.

He also said that if the government had taken action against the “real culprits”, innocent people in the film industry would not have been attacked. Surendran accused the CPM and the state government of shielding Mukesh. “If director Ranjith and actor Sidhique can resign, why not Mukesh,” he asked.

In a statement, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) accused the state government of trying to protect certain individuals by not taking action based on the Justice Hema Committee report.

The KPCC further stated that the government took the reprehensible position that a case would only be filed if a formal complaint was received, despite the fact that the report revealed cases of sexual violence and exploitation.

Mukesh responded that the woman who had made the allegations against him had first approached him in 2009 with a request to act in films.

“I gave the usual answer that I would try. Later she sent me messages on WhatsApp praising my behaviour when she met me in person,” he alleged.

In 2022, the woman again contacted him on phone and demanded huge financial help from him, Mukesh alleged. Later, a man claiming to be her husband also demanded money from him over phone, the CPM MLA alleged.

“The group that tried to blackmail me for money has now turned against me when they had the chance,” he claimed.

He said he never tried to harm anyone’s dignity or individuality, but that he would not be drawn into blackmail tactics.