The Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leader P C George joined the BJP on Wednesday and also merged his party with the saffron party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
George, a seven-time member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and United Democratic Front (UDF) Chief Whip in the Oomen Chandy government, joined the BJP at a meeting held at party head quartes in Delhi. PC George’s sons, Shone George and George Joseph Kakkanad also joined the BJP.
Union Ministers Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V Muraleedharan, along with BJP leaders Prakash Javadekar and Anil Antony received PC George at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muralidharan said that with PC George joining the BJP, the misconception that the party is anti-minority has been dispelled.
Prakash Javadekar said that this merger is just the beginning, and more people are expected to join the party in the future.
PC George said he decided to join the BJP after holding discussions with representatives of churches in Kerala.
“Our party members wish for this merger. If such a decision is taken, it won’t be a merger as ours is a very small party and it would be like a small stream joining a river. India is fortunate to have one of the best prime ministers in its history. Party activists have opined that we should support him,” George said on Tuesday in Kottayam, before leaving for New Delhi
PC George began his political career with Kerala Congress splinter groups led by KM Mani and PJ Joseph.He later formed the parties Kerala Congress (Secular) and Kerala Janapaksham (Secular).
PC George’s relationship with the UDF ended in 2015 following disputes with Kerala Congress (M) leader KM Mani. He was elected to the Assembly in 2016 as an independent MLA from Poonjar constituency. However, he was defeated in the constituency by an LDF candidate in the 2021 Assembly polls.