In an attempt to defuse the controversy surrounding actor Mammootty’s recent visit to the Wayanad township project for landslide survivors, CPM Wayanad district secretary K Rafeeq on Sunday said the actor had personally spoken to him and clarified the matter, urging that the issue should not be allowed to escalate further.

Mammootty was in a soup after he was heard asking Rafeeq to move away, as it was a personal visit. The controversy took an ugly turn after CPM cyber handles attacked him. Social media handles supporting CPM rallied behind Rafeeq, while Mammootty’s fans hit back at party leaders, accusing them of lacking dignity. Several pro-Congress cyber handles also joined the debate, intensifying the online exchange.

According to sources close to Mammootty, the visit to the township was a personal one and was not intended for publicity. However, when the actor arrived at the site, CPM district leaders, including Rafeeq, were already present in connection with the visit of CPM General Secretary M A Baby.

As a small crowd gathered around the actor, Rafeeq was seen advising people to keep a distance and guiding Mammootty’s movement. At one point, Mammootty was heard telling Rafeeq in a subdued voice that he didn't need to remain by his side all the time.

“The people will think I came as your man,” he said, indicating that the visit was personal and that he did not want it to be seen as a party programme. However, mobile phone cameras and television microphones captured the brief exchange, and news channels soon aired the clip. The footage quickly triggered a heated debate on social media between CPM supporters and Mammootty’s fans.

Amid the growing debate, Rafeeq urged all to end the controversy. "It is a matter of happiness for everyone that the great actor of Malayalam cinema visited the township built for the victims of the Mundakkai–Chooralmala disaster. When he arrived there, I happened to be at the location in connection with another programme. As a public worker, I stepped in at that moment to ensure that the crowd and commotion did not cause any inconvenience to Mammootty,” Rafeeq said.

He added that the actor had shared a concern that such interventions might sometimes be misunderstood. “As public workers, it is always our practice to receive visitors who come to the township when we are present there. However, I understand that he was pointing out that this might be interpreted differently,” he said. Rafeeq said Mammootty personally called him and clarified the matter. “It appears that the issue escalated because certain media outlets and right-wing cyber groups portrayed, in a manner that personally insulted me, a concern that Mammootty had expressed to me privately during his visit to the township,” he said.

Rafeeq said he respected the sincerity of those who reacted emotionally to the issue, but urged people not to let the controversy diminish the significance of the township project. “This initiative has been built through the willpower, humanity and compassion of a government and can serve as a model for the entire world. Let Mammootty’s visit to our township be discussed only in a positive manner,” he said.

Calling the actor “a great Malayali”, Rafeeq said Mammootty had personally clarified that he never intended to insult him. “I request everyone to view this matter with that same largeness of mind and to end all debates and arguments related to it. If we recognise that the smiles of our loved ones whose lives were shattered by the disaster matter the most, there should be no barrier preventing us from setting aside grievances and disputes and standing together,” he added.

Rajeev tries to defuse row
As criticism of Mammootty intensified on social media, Industries Minister P Rajeev stepped in to defuse the situation, saying the actor’s visit had, in fact, enhanced the township project's image. “Even amid his tight schedule, an actor like Mammootty felt it necessary to visit the township. It is a great model, and such a visit can help elevate the project’s image at the global level,” he said.

Rajeev also expressed gratitude to the actor for visiting the township and dismissed allegations surrounding Mammootty’s response to Rafeeq as mere “exaggeration”. Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that Mammootty later contacted Rafeeq over the phone and expressed regret over the episode. “It was a personal conversation, and I never thought it would spill over into cyberspace in such a manner,” he reportedly said.

Before Minister Rajeev and Rafeeq came in support of Mammootty, trolls had attacked the actor for being 'headstrong' and 'rude' to the local leaders who stood with the survivors long before celebrities visited Wayanad. 

The controversy gained further traction as Mammootty did not toe the CPM's line that the township project was the result of the party’s efforts. “The township is the social capital of the state, which occurs very rarely,” the actor said. “It emerged from the contributions of people to the hapless members of society when they witnessed extreme danger. It belongs to the people. The mindset of our people is reflected in this project. The state government is implementing it using money collected from the public. Compassion towards others is highest in this state. The township is an example of that,” he added.

Cyber handles supporting CPM quickly hailed Rafeeq as a crusader for landslide survivors, while criticising Mammootty as merely a celebrity living in luxury who had not helped families during the calamity. However, Mammootty fans and Congress-leaning social media accounts defended the actor, saying he only asked the leader to keep some distance so the visit would not appear to be a CPM-sponsored event.