Youth Congress Leaders to Face Court Over Mundakkai Landslide Housing Fund Misuse

Kochi: A High Court advocate from Kolenchery is preparing to approach the court after it was found that funds collected under the banner of the Mundakkai Housing Project were misused by Youth Congress President Rahul Mankootathil MLA and his team. The complainant, T R Lakshmi, had earlier filed a police complaint at the Kochi Central Police Station, where her detailed statement was recorded.
The case centres on a fundraising initiative announced by the Youth Congress in the aftermath of the Mundakkai–Chooralmala landslide disaster. The leadership publicly declared that Rs 2.80 crore would be raised to construct 30 houses for disaster-affected families. As part of the drive, state-level instructions were reportedly issued to collect Rs 2 lakh from each assembly constituency. According to the complaint, donations were made by several individuals, including the complainant, based on these promises.
However, the construction of houses was abandoned midway, and the collected funds were allegedly not used for their intended purpose. It is reported that Rs 88 lakh was raised, but no financial disclosures were made, and standard auditing and accounting procedures were not followed. The complaint claims the money was diverted for personal use and that the public was deliberately misled. Lakshmi is now seeking legal intervention, demanding a thorough and independent investigation into the matter.
The accused named in the complaint are all Youth Congress leaders, including President Rahul Mankootathil and Vice Presidents Abin Varghese, Arita Babu, T Anuthaj, Vaishakh S Darshan, Vishnu Sunil, V K Shibin, and O K Janish.
Allegations around the misuse of the funds first surfaced during a Youth Congress state study camp, where participants raised concerns that, despite widespread contributions by local committees, not a single house had been built. The issue was described by members as deeply embarrassing and damaging to the organisation’s credibility.
Amid the growing controversy, Youth Congress leaders claimed they had sent a letter to the government requesting land for the housing project. Government sources have since denied receiving any such communication. Officials said no proposal for land allocation in Mundakkai had ever been submitted by Youth Congress leaders.
The state government, which is already proceeding with a township rehabilitation plan based on the preferences of the disaster-affected residents to live together, described the Youth Congress’s land claim as baseless. Despite being invited to official meetings on December 30 and January 4 with other organisations that pledged support, Youth Congress representatives failed to attend. In contrast, DYFI contributed Rs 20 crore for the construction of 100 houses, and AIYF donated Rs 1 crore. Youth Congress did not respond during this process.
The current move to escalate the matter to the court follows the party’s continued silence over the alleged financial irregularities. While Youth Congress state president Rahul Mankootathil and former president Shafi Parambil have attempted to shift the blame onto the government, officials maintain that the rehabilitation process is progressing in accordance with the affected families’ wishes.