Fact Check: A Kerala Congress leader made a controversial statement about non-Muslims in this video Achi-News

Fact checks (lead lost)

In 2022, senior Kerala politician PCC said. George was running his own Kerala Janapaksham (secular) party when he made these controversial statements.

Claim ID c9c90c49 – (Fact Check: By: Ishita Goyal J, Translated by: Ankita Kulkarni)
What is the statement?

Senior Kerala politician PC A video of George speaking at an event is doing rounds on social media. George, who is supposed to be the leader of the Kerala Congress, is divided over the allegation that he made controversial comments about Muslims.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) posted the video and has been accused of warning Christians and Hindus not to eat in the hotels they run because of the alleged harmful intentions of the Muslim community. Archives of similar posts can be found here, here and here.

Screenshots of viral posts found on social media.
(Source: Adapted from X / LogicallyFacts)

However, this statement was shared out of context. Although George made these statements, he was not the Kerala Congress leader at the time the statement was recorded in the viral video. He is currently a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

What are the facts?

A longer version of the viral video featuring George’s speech was posted on YouTube on April 20, 2022 (archived here). The title of the video reads, “PC George Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelna” According to the description, George addressed the Hindu Ananthapuri Maha Sammelna in Thiruvananthapuram, the southern Indian state of Kerala.

However, this statement was shared out of context. Although George made these statements, he was not the Kerala Congress leader at the time the statement was recorded in the viral video. He is currently a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

What are the facts?
A longer version of the viral video featuring George’s speech was posted on YouTube (archived here) on April 20, 2022. The title of the video reads, “PC George Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelna” According to the description, he addressed George Hindu Ananthapuri Maha Sammelna in Thiruvananthapuram, southern Indian state of Kerala.

Similarly, on 30 April 2022, the Malayalam language newspaper Kerala Madhyam published a picture of George from the same event and reported on his controversial statements.

The News Record reported that George had made derogatory remarks about the Muslim community at the Hindu Ananthapuri Maha Sammelan organized by the Hindu Maha Parishad in Thiruvananthapuram. Muslim businessmen were falsely accused of selling tainted tea to “powerless” people of other religions and called for a boycott of Muslim hotels.

The report said that the Fort Police Station in Thiruvananthapuram has initiated a spontaneous case against the former legislator (MLA) on the direction of state police chief Anil Kant.

According to a report in The Economic Times about the incident, George was booked under Section 153-A (inciting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Was George the Kerala Congress leader then?

The Economic Times and The News Minute identified George as a former Kerala Congress politician. Several other reports on the incident have confirmed that he was not affiliated with the Kerala Congress at the time of this controversial speech.

According to an Indian Express report on May 1, 2022, a senior politician from Kerala has been charged with hate speech following his controversial comments. The report clearly identified him as a ‘former’ Kerala Congress (M) leader.

Another report by Scroll on the same controversy referred to him as ‘Kerala Janapaksham (secular) leader PC George.

George’s colorful political life

A seven-time member of the Poonjar constituency in the Kottayam district of Kerala, George began his political career with the Kerala Congress (Joseph) and then the Kerala Congress (Mani). In 2006, he founded his own party, the Kerala Congress (Secular), which eventually merged with the Kerala Congress (M). These were splinter groups of the Kerala Congress, founded in 1964 as a breakaway faction from the Indian National Congress, KM George was the founding president.

Formerly associated with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), George later led the Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), a division of the Kerala Congress (Secular), formed in 2017. The party became an ally of the NDA in 2019. Later that year, Ann left the NC and contested the 2021 elections as an independent candidate but was unsuccessful.

And, on 31 January 2024, he joined the BJP, sparking speculation about his candidature from Pathanmanthitta as the United Democratic Alliance candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, he was later denied a seat. The veteran politician is famous for his controversial statements, especially those of a communal nature.

opinion

PC George was not a member of the Kerala Congress when he made these communal comments. In 2022, he was leading his own party, Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), when his controversial statements were widely reported. Therefore, we recognize that this statement is out of context.

Reference links

India Trends Live

Refuting

PC George is taken into custody for his communal comments against Muslims – The News Record

Refuting

Senior Kerala leader George taken into custody for controversial anti-Muslim comments – The Economic Times

Refuting

Former Kerala MP seeks boycott of Muslim restaurants, booked for hate speech – The Indian Express

Refuting

Former Kerala MLA PC George granted bail in hate speech case – Scroll. In

Refuting

What merger with Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) 7-time MLA means for BJP – The Print

Refuting

PC George is taken into custody for his communal comments against Muslims – The News Record

Refuting

No political front in Kerala wants PC George’s ‘potty-mouth’ – The News Minute

Refuting

PC George joins BJP, may contest from Pathanamthitta – The Hindu

Refuting

PC George’s entry into the party causing more harm than good to the BJP PC George’s entry into the party causing more harm than good to the BJP – Deccan Herald

(Fact Check: By: Ishita Goyal J, Translated by: Ankita Kulkarni)

Read the latest news first at News 18 Kannada. Get daily fresh news, live news update on Believer News 18 in Kannada