Video doesn't show Kerala Congress leader making controversial remarks about Muslims

What is the claim?

A video featuring senior Kerala politician P.C. George speaking at an event has been circulating on social media. The video was shared with the claim that George, a supposed Kerala Congress leader, made contentious remarks about Muslims.

A user on X (previously known as Twitter) posted the video, alleging that George was cautioning Christians and Hindus against dining at Muslim restaurants due to the alleged harmful intentions of the latter community. Archives of similar posts can be found here, here, and here. 

Screenshots of the viral posts on social media. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this claim is misleading. While George did make such comments, he was not a 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, which includes George’s speech, was posted on YouTube (archived here) on April 20, 2022. The video was titled "PC George Ananthapuri Hindu Maha sammelan." According to the description, George was addressing the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, a state in southern India. 

A screenshot of the video of George's 2022 speech on YouTube. (Source: YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

Similarly, on April 30, 2022, Madhyamam, a Malayalam-language newspaper in Kerala, published an image of George from the same event and reported on his controversial remarks.

A report by The News Minute stated that George made derogatory comments about the Muslim community at the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan, organized by the Hindu Maha Parishad in Thiruvananthapuram. He falsely accused Muslim traders and businessmen of selling adulterated tea to render people of other religions “impotent” and called for a boycott of Muslim eateries.

The report added that the Fort police station in Thiruvananthapuram initiated suo motu action against the former Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) under the direction of the state police chief, Anil Kant.

A report by The Economic Times about this incident noted that George was booked under Section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Was George a Kerala Congress leader at the time?

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

The Indian Express reported on the controversy on May 1, 2022, stating that the senior Kerala politician was charged with hate speech following his controversial comments. The report clearly identified him as a ‘former’ leader of Kerala Congress (M).

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

George’s colorful political career

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

Previously associated with both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), George later led Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), a breakaway faction of the Kerala Congress (Secular) formed in 2017. This party became an ally of the NDA in 2019. Later that year, he left the NDA to run independently in the 2021 elections but was unsuccessful.

He joined the BJP on January 31, 2024, sparking speculation about his candidacy from Pathanamthitta as the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, he was later denied the seat. The senior politician is notorious for his controversial remarks, particularly those of a communal nature.

The verdict

P.C. George was not a member of the Kerala Congress when he made these communal statements. In 2022, he was leading his own party, the Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), when his controversial remarks were widely reported. Therefore, we have marked the claim as misleading.