George at a political crossroads

March 30, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 07:44 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram:

P.C. George

P.C. George

Government Chief Whip P.C. George is finding himself at a crossroads of his political career, after crossing swords with Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani, nearly bringing to an end eight years of difficult co-habitation.

Mr. George has been at the centre of many controversies, with his acerbic tongue embarrassing one leader or the other in the ruling coalition. Trouble began when it became clear to Mr. George that he would not get any major berth in the UDF government, not even a deputy speaker’s post, since Kerala Congress (Joseph), led by P.J. Joseph, had merged with the Kerala Congress (M) months before the 2011 Assembly elections.

Mr. George, it seems, never forgave Mr. Mani for getting for him only a Chief Whip’s post, which he used to the hilt to embarrass the government. However, many coalition leaders benefitted from the positions he took. For example, he came out against a Vigilance judge for his ruling in the palmolein case. His campaign resulted in the judge being shifted, giving Chief Minister Oommen Chandy some respite from the heat the LDF had turned on him.

Tiff with Ganesh

Mr. George’s spats with the then Forest Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar over the Nelliyampathi forestland leased out to Karunya Estates hit headlines during the whole of 2012. The UDF leadership sided with Mr. George in his fight against Mr. Ganesh Kumar who determinedly went after the lease violators and announced its takeover. The two leaders nearly arrived at blows in the presence of the Chief Minister.

Soon Mr. George came up with allegations against Mr. Chandy himself. He shot off a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi accusing Mr. Chandy of corruption in the solar scam. He also hit out against the then Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and Electricity Minister Aryadan Mohammed. He was forced to apologise for some uncharitable remarks against the then Defence Minister A.K. Antony. In fact, there is hardly any UDF leader who has not received Mr. George’s “treatment.” The only exceptions, UDF sources say, are Ramesh Chennithala and P.K. Kunhalikutty.

All through the controversies, UDF leaders held the view that it was for Mr. Mani to take action against Mr. George. Mr. Mani was even accused of letting Mr. George off the hook.

Mr. George finally turned against Mr. Mani, cornering him in the bar bribery case. He questioned the status of Jose K. Mani as the heir apparent in the Kerala Congress (M). It is an irony that the UDF leadership should be struggling to take a stand on Mr. George now that Mr. Mani has announced the hard decision.

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