Controversial Poonjar MLA PC George on Tuesday has asked the government not to subsidise rubber plantations in the state, and reportedly suggested all rubber trees be cut down or destroyed. As reported by Mathrubhumi, PC George said that rubber trees were harmful to the environment and that the cultivation of these trees was a loss to the nation.
Speaking at the Kerala Assembly, PC George said that rubber was introduced in Kerala by some foreigner who wanted to trick Malayalis. He also claimed that there was no way that Kerala could profit from rubber cultivation as the tree was grown widely in Assam and all parts of Africa.
In this video posted by Asianet, members of the Assembly can be heard shouting at him to ask his question, as he had raised this point during question hour. But PC George continued his tirade against rubber with a personal anecdote. “I have cut down rubber trees in my six-acre land and planted different crops as an example to everyone. In 10 years, I will earn Rs 16 lakh from each acre of land.”
He also said that rubber is a tree that saps the soil of water and destroys the environment and that different crops needed to be planted instead of rubber. He still did not raise his question.
Amidst calls from the Speaker and other Assembly members to ask his question, he insisted that the finance department should not give any subsidies to rubber plantations, and asked if the Minister was willing to talk about crops other than rubber. At this point, an unidentified person taps him on the shoulder and gestures for him to sit down, which he finally does.
Given the kinds of statements he is known to make, his comments on rubber are comparably non-controversial. Back in September, Independent MLA PC George launched an ugly attack on the nun who had come out accusing Jalandhar Diocese Bishop Franco Mulakkal of rape, publicly calling her a “prostitute”.