Actor Mammootty appeared to have inadvertently found himself at the centre of a political controversy following his visit on Saturday (March 7, 2026) to Wayanad to view the township built by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government for families displaced by the catastrophic Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide disaster in 2024.
A hot mic captured Mr. Mamooty asking Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] district secretary, Wayanad, K. Rafeeq, not to tail him around the construction site. “Why are you always standing beside me? (Public) might think I have come at your (CPI(M)’s) behest”, he said.
The video went viral, sparking a raucous online dispute between pro-CPI(M) and Congress social media handles. On Sunday (March 8, 2026), leaders of both parties weighed in, adding a political dimension to the episode.
CPI(M) social media handles pointed out that Mr. Rafeeq had arrived at the township to receive the party’s general secretary, M. A. Baby, and not to “chaperone” Mr. Mamooty around the site.
They noted that Mr. Rafeeq, as a leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) in Wayanad, was at the forefront of the relief and rescue mission.
CPI(M) supporters posted a video of Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan commending the efforts of DYFI workers led by Mr. Rafeeq at the disaster site. They said Mr. Rafeeq did not deserve the “snarky and demeaning” comment.
Congress condemned the “CPI(M)’s vicious cyber attack” on Mr. Mammootty. Senior leader Cherian Philip and Youth Congress State vice-president, Abin Varkey, said Mr. Mammotty had earned the party’s wrath for rebuilding its efforts to use him as a propaganda tool in the Assembly election year.
“Mr. Mammotty’s comment belied the CPI(M)’s attempt to project the township as LDF’s largesse to the Wayanad people”, Mr. Philip stated.
PWD Minister Muhammad Riyaz defended Mr. Rafeeq. “CPI(M) district secretaries do not gatecrash into events or ferret around for publicity. Mr Rafeeq is a constant presence in Wayanad, and he led the DYFI’s storied relief and rescue efforts following the landslide”, he said.
Law Minister P. Rajeeve noted that Mr Mammotty had termed the township a “social capital”, which enabled the displaced people to function again as a vibrant civil society. His visit spotlighted Kerala’s resilience as a people in the face of adversity. “Mr Mammotty’s gesture pointed to the actor’s humanism”, he stated.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
