BJP calls action against P C George hasty, Congress terms it as delayed

The political storm created by Kerala politician P C George's controversial remarks against Muslims two days ago gained momentum with him being taken into custody early Sunday morning and transported via road to the State capital for being formally arrested, a move which BJP leaders termed as hasty and the Congress described it as delayed.

Within a few hours of his arrest, George secured bail from a Magisterial court.

Exiting the residence of the duty Magistrate, who granted him bail, George spoke to reporters who were gathered there to find out whether he would get any relief. He told reporters that he stands by what he has said in his speech in which he had also said that he does not want the support or vote of radical groups, of any religion, who do not love the country.

He said what he had said in his speech regarding the Muslim hotels was what he was told by someone and what he had read was some article.

George further said he has been asked by the Magistrate not to interfere in the investigation, not to influence witnesses or make any hate speech or get involved in any controversy.

The 70-year-old politician said there was no need to send police to bring him to Thiruvananthapuram as a single call even from the PS of the Chief Minister would have sufficed and he would have shown up in court on his own.

George's custody, then arrest and subsequent release on bail led to a war of words between the major political parties in the State.

Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan not only termed the police action as hasty, but also contended that while George was arrested when there was no arrest warrant against him, Rajya Sabha CPI(M) MP A A Rahim was not arrested despite an arrest warrant.

''So if it is A A Rahim, there is no arrest. If it is P C George, then there is arrest even without a warrant. This is double standards of the ruling State government,'' Muraleedharan contended, while speaking to reporters later in the evening.

Hitting back at the Minister, Rahim claimed that by showing up at AR camp to meet George, who is accused of making hate speeches, Muraleedharan has violated his oath of office and he would be raising this issue in Parliament.

The relief granted to George has also been questioned by some like P K Firos -- the General Secretary, Muslim Youth League, Kerala State Committee, who claimed that the entire episode starting from his being taken into custody was a drama as the public prosecutor appearing for the State allegedly did not oppose the grant of bail, according to George.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and MP K Sudhakaran said that the action taken against George by the Pinarayi Vijayan government was ''half-hearted'' which was evident from the manner in which the politician was taken, in his own personal vehicle, to Thiruvananthapuram AR camp to be arrested formally.

Sudhakaran, Firos, and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan, all of them criticised the decision of taking George in his personal vehicle to the State capital and they also claimed that it was done to allow BJP leaders and workers to extend their wishes and support to him en route.

Visuals aired by TV channels showed BJP workers extending him their wishes and support at various places on the road to Thiruvananthapuram.

The visuals also showed DYFI activists waving black flags at him outside the AR camp and some protestors throwing rotten eggs at the vehicle carrying George.

The drama outside the AR camp heightened further when Muraleedharan was denied entry to meet George purportedly due to lack of permission from senior police officers.

Unperturbed by the turn of events, Muraleedharan got out of his vehicle to speak to reporters outside the AR camp and proceeded to question the need for such haste in the arrest of George.

The Minister said such haste was not shown in connection with the killings of BJP workers and leaders in the State and here George was neither a terrorist nor a criminal, but a well-known politician and a former MLA.

Earlier in the day, George's son -- Shaun George -- had also spoken along similar lines and had termed the entire early morning police action as a ''show-off.'' George, the former Kerala Congress politician, had sparked off a controversy by asking non-Muslims in Kerala to avoid restaurants run by the community.

Addressing a programme organised as part of the ongoing Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan here on Friday, he had alleged that he had heard that tea laced with drops causing impotence were sold in Muslim-run restaurants to turn people infertile in a bid to seize control of the country.

Today, during the concluding ceremony of the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan, Muraleedharan said George only expressed his personal views and that the State government in the past has taken the stand that everyone has the right to air their views.

Claiming that the ruling government has double standards in everything, the Minister said that in the past when others have made communal or controversial remarks and statements, such speedy action -- as seen in the case of George -- was absent.

BJP State president K Surendran too had earlier said that George's comments were his personal views and he had the right to air them.

However, Surendran's stand was criticised by Satheesan who said one person's right to speech cannot impinge on another's rights regarding religion.

Satheesan also alleged that those trying to justify George's statements were the one's pulling the strings from behind and urged the police and the State to take action against the Sangh Parivar, who according to the LoP were behind the controversial remarks.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)