UDF whip charges minister with adultery

United Democratic Front chief whip P C George on Sunday alleged that Forest Minister K B Ganesh Kumar has an extramarital affair and should quit the Cabinet.

A leader of Kerala Congress (Mani), George has a running battle with Kumar, over Forest Department bid to take over a few estates (known as Nelliyampathy), which had violated forest laws and whose lease periods had expired.

George had openly come out against the department as several estate owners belonged to Kottayam, his home district.

George's allegation has a background. A local daily had on Sunday reported that a minister was manhandled at his official residence by the husband of his paramour. The daily did not name any minister. It said the minister's wife had collected the evidences about the affair and alerted the woman's husband who was abroad. The husband came back to the state capital and went to the minister's official residence, where he was assaulted.

Hours after the news was published, George told the media in Kottayam that he was revealing the name of the minister, otherwise all the Cabinet ministers would be under the cloud of suspicion. "I am sure that it was Ganesh Kumar who was beaten up. I knew it earlier, but kept silent. Kumar should quit as minister. Kerala society will not tolerate such woman issues,'' he said.

Refuting the allegation, Kumar said he would take legal action against George, apart from taking up the matter with Congress-led UDF leadership and George's party chairman K M Mani. "It is paid news. George has raised the baseless allegation due to my stand in the Nelliyampathy estate issue.''

Kumar is also fighting against his estranged father and his party Kerala Congress (B) chairman R Balakrishna Pillai. Pillai had several times asked the UDF to withdraw his son from the Cabinet.

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