Kochi: Actor Mohanlal has resigned as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) on Tuesday, leading to the dissolution of the entire executive committee.

According to a statement released by AMMA, the decision to dissolve the executive committee was made in response to sexual abuse allegations against some of its members, which were reported in the media. The statement explained, "In light of allegations made by some actors against some of the committee members, AMMA has decided to dissolve the executive committee, taking moral responsibility. A new committee will be formed after an election within two months."

The statement also expressed hope for a new leadership capable of revitalizing and strengthening the association, adding, "We are thankful to everyone for pointing out our errors."

Initially, the AMMA leadership planned to hold an executive committee meeting to discuss the allegations against its members and to select a suitable candidate for the joint secretary position, following Siddique’s resignation. However, the situation became more complicated after joint secretary Baburaj also faced allegations of sexual abuse. Additionally, differing opinions from vice-presidents Jagadish and Jayan Cherthala on the Hema Committee report further exposed internal conflicts within the association.

The now-dissolved executive committee included actors Jagadish, Jayan Cherthala, Baburaj, Kalabhavan Shajon, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Joy Mathew, Suresh Krishna, Tini Tom, Ananya, Vinu Mohan, Tovino Thomas, Sarayu, Ansiba, and Jomol.

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Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.

Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.

He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.

Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.

He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.

Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.

He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.