Kerala’s political landscape  was in for a jolt late on Sunday evening as PC George — MLA and head of the faction of a Kerala Congress — owing allegiance to the Catholic Church demanded that India be declared a Hindu Republic at the earliest.

“The rulers should understand that the minorities would be able to live here with a sense of security only if India is declared a Hindu Nation. I am speaking this knowing fully well what would be the impact of my words,” said George (70), who represents Poonjar Assembly constituency and has been a seven-term member of Kerala Legislative Assembly.

George is seeking re-election from Poonjar for a record eighth time as an independent sans the support of no major players like the CPI(M), the Congress and the BJP. He was in the news recently when cadres belonging to extremist Islamic organizations disrupted his campaign meetings.

What made George to demand the authorities to declare India as a Hindu nation was the increasing number of Love Jihad incidents (wooing of non-Muslim girls by Muslim youth with the promise of marrying them only to dump them later in countries like Syria and Iraq as sex slaves). There were reports and surveys by NGOs like Christian Association for Social Action that found more than 2,000 Christian girls from Kerala ending up as victims of Love Jihad along with Hindu girls.

“The Supreme Court said that there was no Love Jihad in India. But I am sure and certain that there is Love Jihad happening all over India. That’s why I said that the Supreme Court was wrong in its observation and assessment. The only way to save India from this predicament is to declare the country as a Hindu Republic,” said George, a devote Catholic.

Addressing a public meeting at Thodupuzha, the senior legislator who wages a one-man army battle against corruption, said he has no complaints against the Muslim religion. But there are some misguided elements in the community who is out to disintegrate India and they are spoiling the reputation and good name of Islam. They have to be isolated and exposed  to save all,” said George.

Kevin Peter , who heads the Christian Association for Social Action (CASA), an umbrella organisation for the entire Christian sects in the country said the demand by George has to be  noted seriously. “It is the indifference of the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M) led LDF towards the genuine grievances of the Christian community that made George come out with a demand like it.

Though the Christian community is also a minority like the Muslims, the latter is allocated 80 per cent of the funds meant for minority welfare while the Christians have to content with just 20 per cent of the funds. This is nothing but gross injustice,” said Peter.

The CASA leader said that though the community representatives have been alerting the  unprecedented increase in the number of Christian girls ending up as victims to the evil designs of Love Jihadis, no action has been taken by either of the fronts. “It was not CASA or P C George who alerted the nation about Love Jihad.

Former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan had declared in a meeting about the  mission by Jihadis to convert Kerala into an Islamic state by religious conversion of this kind,” said Peter.