What has incurred the wrath of the Congressmen in general and Youth Congress activists in particular has been the increasingly critical statements of Government Chief Whip P C George, who belongs to the KC(M), against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his government.

These statements go against the coalition dharma and George should refrain from such critical remarks, said KPCC vice-president M M Hassan, who wanted George removed from the post of Chief Whip.

However, the division within the Congress over the PC George issue came out in the open with KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala saying that differences of opinion in a coalition government should be sorted out through talks and not dragged to the streets. This was a clear repudiation of the stand taken by his own deputy M M Hassan.

George himself has accused supporters of Oommen Chandy belonging to the A group of being behind the street campaign against him. They were angry with him for demanding that the KPCC chief should join the state Cabinet and also because of his statements against the Chief Minister on the solar scam.

Significantly, the CM has, so far, maintained a deafening silence on the issue despite the telephonic talk KC(M) chief and Finance Minister K M Mani had with him to express his displeasure against the attacks against George in the form of black flag demonstrations and hurling of rotten eggs.

Congress MLA K Muralidharan has also deplored the campaign against George. In a democracy, issues should be solved through talks and not on the streets. He reminded Congressmen that they have been highly critical of the black flag demonstrations against the Chief Minister by the CPI(M). This being the case, how can they justify the use of the same tactics against George, he asked.

Meanwhile, undeterred by the street campaign against him, George has decided to go ahead with his statements. In his latest remark, he has taken exception to the granting of bail to Tenny Joppan and Shalu Menon, accused in the solar scam, by the High Court.

There is another reason for Congressmen’s anger against George. The Chief Whip had actively pushed the case of his president, K M Mani for the Chief Minister’s post in the wake of the demand by the LDF that the CM must resign and face a judicial enquiry in the solar scam. Obviously, this has not been to the liking of the Congress leaders and activists.

The George issue is bound to figure prominently when Sonia Gandhi visits the State in the first week of September. The Congress president, said to be unhappy about the functioning of the Congress-led Government, is planning to have discussions with the party’s allies in the UDF like the Indian Union Muslim League and the Kerala Congress(M) in an effort to remove their grievances. Much depends on the outcome of these talks.

The KC(M)’s hostile stand has to be viewed against the backdrop of its displeasure over the Congress’s refusal to grant a Union Cabinet berth to Mani’s son, Jose K Mani, MP. The KC(M) has also signalled its intent to demand at least two Lok Sabha seats in the parliamentary elections, due in May next year. If the talks fail, there could be a further deterioration in the relations between the Congress and the Kerala Congress(M). (IPA Service)