Kerala Congress leader P C George is notorious for shooting off his mouth. In a career spanning two decades, the minister has often found himself on the wrong side of the party sentiment thanks to his indiscretion and a knack for courting trouble.
The cabinet minister made headlines yet again for the wrong reasons. In the furore created over the solar issue, George opined that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy should step down and the Congress high command accommodate him at the Centre with a suitable post.
His remarks came at a time when the government was already facing the heat from the Opposition LDF on this matter. George’s ill-timed observations annoyed his partymen, especially the ‘A’ faction which has solidly stood behind Chandy.
Irate Youth Congress activists waylaid George on his home turf, waving black flags at him. In Thodupuzha, he was pelted with rotten eggs.
There aren’t many takers for George’s argument as the Kerala Congress (M)—of which he is the vice-chairman—has thrown its weight behind Chandy.
However, George is in no mood to budge. “I don’t want any police protection. Let them do what they want. I’ll continue to attend public functions,’’ he said.
George had been championing Chandy’s cause till a few months ago. The two fell out with after the chief minister decided to have his own way on the former minister K B Ganesh Kumar ‘family row’ issue. George, apparently, was not satisfied with the manner in which Chandy had handled the matter and wanted friend-turned-foe Kumar to be humiliated further.
Kerala Congress supremo and state finance minister K M Mani is said to be exasperated with George’s gaffes. He recently issued a stern warning to George to keep mum and not make any further damaging statements.
George has been known to adopt a holier-than-thou approach towards all. His entire political record reveals distrust and rancour against all who have opposed him.
George was the first politician in the state who was convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the beginning of his career.
Incidentally, the case in the eighties was made at the behest of the KC(M), while George was in the now defunct KC (Joseph). George had waged a indirect legal battle with Mani by levelling a slew of corruption charges in return. The bitter episode, however, didn’t deter him from joining KC(M) when the need arose.