By Ashraf PadannaThiruvananthapuram
Kerala government chief whip P C George, the self-styled “whistleblower” in the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), is on his way out.
Finance Minister K M Mani, chairman of the Kerala Congress (M), has written to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy demanding George’s removal from office, where he enjoys all privileges of a cabinet minister.
“I have received a letter from Mani’s party seeking George’s removal as chief whip as well as dropping him from the UDF liaison committee,” Chandy told reporters here yesterday. “The UDF will soon take a decision”.
Chandy also held talks with Industry Minister P K Kunhalikutty, who heads the second largest coalition partner, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), with 20 members, and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.
The KC (M) has also reportedly staked claim to George’s post.
George said he wanted to revive his KC (Secular), which had merged with the KC (M) ahead of the general elections four years ago. If so, George needs to resign as legislator and seek a fresh mandate. George was at odds with the Chandy dispensation ever since he was denied a cabinet berth while the chief minister expanded his cabinet adding a new minister from the IUML. He also pressed for the post of the Assembly Speaker in vain.
At one point, he tried to topple the government, prompting the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which leads the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF), to support Mani for the post of chief minister.
The ruling coalition has 73 legislators in the 140-member Assembly and nine of them, including George, belong to the KC (M). The election authorities are soon expected to notify by-election in the Aruvikkara constituency of former Speaker G Karthikeyan, who died last month.
George, who left for his constituency in his official vehicle after meeting the chief minister, alleged it was Mani who had conspired to topple the government ahead of parliamentary polls and that he had merely acted at the finance minister’s instance.
He also blamed Mani’s son, Jose K Mani, for the fiasco claiming he had hoped to become a minister in the federal government.
George said he had spoken to Kunhalikutty and Chennithala and would like to continue with the UDF. “I respect the chief minister. My firm decision is to stay in the UDF,” he told reporters here. “The three made me the chief whip, not Mani, and let them take a decision”.
However, Mani, who also met the three leaders twice in the day, was reportedly adamant on George’s ouster as he suspected the latter’s role in the recent allegations of bribery against him. The graft charges are currently under investigation.
Meanwhile, CPI-M leader Pinarayi Vijayan, widely seen as the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the elections just a year away, said his party would take a decision only after George made his stand clear while party secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, said the LDF was not a platform to accommodate all and sundry.
A member of Assembly can be disqualified if they voluntarily gives up membership of a political party, or votes or abstains in the House against the party’s direction without obtaining prior permission.
A ‘defection’ by two-thirds of the elected members of a political party is considered a ‘merger’ but no other legislator from George’s party has so far come out in support.
