PC George, the MLA from Poonjar constituency in Kottayam and the only independent member in the Kerala Assembly, has now floated a social outfit to ‘ensure justice for minorities and the marginalised.’
The senior politician, who has been representing the Poonjar constituency in Kottayam for decades, announced 'Janapaksham', which he calls a people’s movement, at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
Ever since his win in the 1980 state elections, George has been working in Poonjar which also doubles up as his home turf. Ahead of the 2011 elections, George - who was earlier with the LD F- merged his party with the Kerala Congress (M) and then later integrated with the UDF. He then set off on his own, and is currently the only independent MLA in Kerala.
Lashing out at both the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front, PC George criticised their “inability to address the people’s problems.”
‘Janapaksham’, George says, has the support of 36 organisations which have been working for the welfare of SC and ST, Nadar outfit Viaikunta Swami Dharma Pracharanasabha (VSDP) and Dalit Human Rights Movement (DHRM). It aims to work for the marginalised and minorities such as the Nadar community, fishermen, converted Christians, SC/ST and financially backward among forward castes.
“There is no need for me to explain why I have formed the movement. I was elected from Poonjar in the last Assembly election by defeating candidates of the LDF, UDF and NDA with a majority of 28,000 votes. It shows how desperate people are,” George told TNM.
'Janapaksham', will form vigilance committees at the village level to prevent corruption. “It’s not a political party. But a political party will also be formed in the future for the same cause. People deserve justice. The price of one kilogram rice in the state is Rs 46 whereas it’s Rs 8 in Tamil Nadu. The poor should get justice,” said the former Government Chief Whip.
'Janapaksham' was the name of a socio-cultural organisation floated by BJP leader Raman Pillai in 2007 when he parted ways with the party. “Raman Pillai happily agreed to hand over the name," George said.