Kerala min quits over domestic abuse charge: Who is KB Ganesh Kumar?

Kerala forest and cinema minister Keezhoote Balakrishna Pillai Ganesh Kumar, known as KB Ganesh Kumar, has been in the eye of a storm for some time. He resigned from the two-year-old Oommen Chandy government late on Monday night after his wife filed a complaint against him alleging physical assault and mental torture. Who is KB Ganesh Kumar? Not just a politician, Ganesh is also an Indian film and TV actor. In fact, he was the first from the Kerala film industry to be elected to the Assembly. [caption id=“attachment_682368” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kerala forest and cinema minister KB Ganesh Kumar.[/caption] Ganesh Kumar made his debut in the 1985 Malayalam film Erakal directed by KG George. The film was adjudged the second best Malayalam film of the year. Over the years he made his a mark on the silver screen as a supporting actor, performing a variety of roles during the last two decades. Since 2001 he has been balancing his role as MLA with his acting duties, indicating his unwillingness to give up his first love. But despite the popularity that he attained by becoming an actor-turned minister, Ganesh has been a controversial figure in Kerala politics particularly for various cases of allegations raised against him, as well as his inability to compromise with his own political party, notes a report in the  Economic Times. Earlier in February it was reported in a Malayalam daily that a minister in the legislative cabinet was assaulted by a person whose wife was having an affair with him. Although, the newspaper didn’t name the minister, on 3 March, the government whip, PC George called a press conference and announced that the minister in question was Mr Ganesh Kumar. Thereafter, PC George as well as members from the opposition CPM called for Ganesh to resign from his ministerial position. Son of former Kerala minister R Balakrishna Pillai, Ganesh was elected to the State Legislative Assembly from Pathanapuram in Kollam district for the first time in 2001 and has represented the constituency ever since. He was Transport Minister from May 2001 to March 2003. When he stepped down from his ministerial post to facilitate his father’s induction into the Cabinet in March 2003, it took many by surprise and was quite dramatic. In the 2006 Assembly elections, Ganesh Kumar was once again elected from Pathanapuram, this time realizing an increased victory margin. In the 2011 Assembly elections, Ganesh Kumar scored a hat-trick win from Pathanapuram with an even bigger margin. The minister was forced to resign after his wife Yamini Thankachy filed a police complaint under the domestic violence act. Earlier on Monday, she called a press conference and criticised the chief minister in strong terms for hushing up a domestic violence case and shielding her husband. “I went to the CM with a complaint. But he refused to accept it and promised me to settle everything amicably. But now I feel cheated by the CM,” she had said at a press conference.