BENGALURU: K J George, the Cabinet minister who resigned on Monday, had underestimated the force of the current storm.
Over the years, he had emerged unscathed from controversies that might have permanently destroyed politicians with less powerful connections. His calculations, and those of his party, went seriously awry this time.
Observers attribute his political longevity to his contacts in Delhi. Never seen as a leader with all-Karnataka appeal, he has yet managed to helm critical ministries. Party insiders say that is because he is a ‘high command man’.
Born to Chacko Joseph Kelachandra and Mariamma Joseph, he spent most of his childhood in Kodagu, where the family owned a small piece of land. A former Congress leader recalls George came to Bengaluru to work at a printing press attached to the Bible Society of India. Today, with extensive real estate holdings, George ranks among Bengaluru’s wealthiest.
In the early 1980s, George was secretary of the Youth Congress. In 1984, he was elected from the Bharatinagar Assembly constituency. He retained the seat in 1989. He is now in his fifth term as MLA. In the Veerendra Patil government, George was minister of state (independent charge) for transport, and food and civil supplies. His fortunes turned when PM Rajiv Gandhi, on a trip to Bengaluru, dismissed CM Veerendra Patil, replacing him with S Bangarappa.
George’s clout expanded, and he allegedly became a conduit for Bangarappa in Delhi. He was elevated as Cabinet minister for housing and urban development (1990-92). Within two years, Bangarappa resigned following corruption charges. Being a camp loyalist, George followed him out of the Congress, and into the newly founded Karnataka Congress Party. The party didn’t take him far, and he returned to Congress.
In 2013, George won the Sarvagnanagar Assembly constituency with 69,673 votes, against BJP’s Padmanabha Reddy. He was made home minister by Siddaramaiah, but his tenure was considered undistinguished. When a spate of sex crimes against children rocked Bengaluru, public anger was high, and the opposition sought his scalp. He sailed over the crisis.
More recently, when the home portfolio was taken away and given to G Parameshwara, George bagged another plum post: Minister for Bengaluru development.
When DySP M K Ganapathy allegedly committed suicide after naming George as a tormentor, the opposition went after him. The TV interview was aired, challenging the government’s sense of fairness. George was confident that the CM would never drop him.
The government even tried to project the opposition demand for his resignation as a ploy against the minorities, especially Christians. The government also attributed the death to a discord in his family. The Congress realised how suicidal it was to defend George when the opposition was riding with the emotional tide.