A crisis appears to be brewing in Kerala Congress (M), a key partner in ruling Congress-led UDF, with the faction loyal to Water Resources Minister P J Joseph stepping up demand for the removal of party nominee P C George as the Government Chief whip.
A meeting of the party leaders in Kochi yesterday, where the Joseph group toughened its position, decided to set up a three member committee to look into the complaint against George but rejected the demand for his immediate removal as chief whip.
However, some of second rung leaders of the Joseph faction came out openly today asserting they would not compromise on George's issue and was even ready to break away.
The faction's complaint against George is he has violated the party and coalition norms by openly criticising the Oommen Chandy Government over a host of issue.
Rivals of George are sore that the party's supreme leader and Finance Minister K M Mani was soft-peddling the issue.
Joseph faction, which remained a separate entity for long and was part of the LDF, merged with the KC (M) in 2010.
Francis George, a former MP and close follower of Joseph, today said said it was difficult to put with the humiliation heaped on the party leaders by George and the reluctance of the top leadership to take action against him.
