Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 27 (IANS): A day after former actress Minu Muneer levelled grave allegations of sexual harassment against him, actor-turned-CPI-M legislator Mukesh on Tuesday denied the charges and welcomed a probe into them.

Mukesh, who is among the half a dozen top film personalities in the dock as a flood of allegations surfaced against them since the explosive Hema Committee report on the working conditions of women in the Kerala film industry was finally released on Monday last week, said: "I deny what she has said and this is nothing but blackmail against me by her. I welcome a probe into this."

"It was in 2009 that she (then Minu Kurian) came to meet me seeking chances in films. We had a talk and she left. Later she expressed her happiness that I behaved with her well. Then she surfaced in 2022 as Minu Muneer and was in a threatening mode, demanding Rs one lakh," he said in a statement.

"Later a man introducing himself as Minu’s husband called and demanded a big sum of money. I have all the evidence of this blackmail. I welcome a probe," he added in the statement.

On the opposition protests against him, he termed them a "re-run of the same political drama that took place in 2018".

Ever since the allegations against Mukesh surfaced, the opposition Congress and the BJP have been up in arms against the actor and staged protests before his house and office in Kollam, demanding his resignation as a legislator.

Responding to Mukesh’s statement, Minu said that she has only one thing to say - "that he behaved very badly and now time has caught up with him".

"You just wait, tomorrow, an FIR will be filed against him. So now he says I blackmailed him. If that’s the case, is he not an MLA and why did he not register a complaint that I blackmailed him," she asked.

As of now, the CPI-M is strongly backing Mukesh and their state committee member Anil Kumar ruled out any action, pointing out that two Congress legislators facing similar allegations are continuing as legislators. However, CPI leader Annie Raja, who had contested from Wayanad against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the recent Lok Sabha election, has asked him to step down and face a probe.

Earlier on Tuesday, Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) President Mohanlal and the entire executive stepped down following massive criticism of the organisation's handling of the revelations in the report.