Palakkad (Kerala), March 28 The Congress party expelled a Palakkad Municipality councillor from the party on Saturday following a sexual assault allegation against him.
A Thankappan, president of the Palakkad District Congress Committee (DCC), said that Prashob C Valsan, a councillor from the 24th division, was removed from the party after reports of the incident surfaced.
"We became aware of the incident through media reports. Soon after, we expelled him from the party," Thankappan told reporters.
Regarding Valsan's continued role as a councillor, Thankappan said that the party has no authority to intervene in that matter.
"He may choose to resign from his position for moral reasons, but that is his decision. The party is also conducting an internal inquiry. We did not receive a formal complaint, but we still decided to remove him," he said.
The DCC president also asserted that the incident would not affect the party's prospects in the upcoming elections, stating that Valsan was not a prominent leader.
Meanwhile, police are expected to record the complainant's statement before registering a case.
The woman, who belongs to a Scheduled Tribe community, has alleged that the councillor sexually assaulted her multiple times, promising a stable job, and later pressured her to terminate the pregnancy.
She has lodged complaints with the police and the chief minister.
The BJP and the ruling LDF have criticised the Congress over the issue, alleging that Valsan is a close aide of sitting MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, who they claim is facing sexual assault allegations and has been arrested previously.