Former Congress legislator Shobana George is at the centre of a fresh political controversy in Kerala, with allegations that an unauthorised beauty treatment involving chicken eggs, hibiscus flower buds, lemon juice, and Eladi coconut oil was carried out during her tenure as chairperson of the state-run Ayurvedic institution Oushadhi. The row has now spilled into the Kerala Assembly, with a formal inquiry ordered by the state health minister.

What the Allegations Claim

An internal inquiry report has reportedly found that a beauty treatment was conducted in a deluxe air-conditioned room at Oushadhi's Panchakarma hospital, with the procedure allegedly not entered in the hospital's records. The report is said to have noted the use of 3 kg of hibiscus flower buds, eggs, lemon juice, and Eladi coconut oil for facial and body treatments. Crucially, the inquiry reportedly raised questions about the use of official funds and the deployment of doctors for a procedure that was not part of the institution's established treatment offerings.

Congress MLA V.P. Sajeendran brought the matter to the floor of the Kerala Assembly by raising pointed questions about the alleged unconventional regimen. Health Minister K. Muraleedharan confirmed that a report on the alleged unauthorised treatment exists, and said an inquiry will be conducted, though he noted no action has been taken so far.

Shobana George's Rebuttal

Shobana has firmly denied undergoing any treatment at Oushadhi, challenging her critics to produce documentary evidence. Rather than limiting her response to formal denials, she turned to social media satire. In a Facebook video, she captioned her post: 'I came to bathe in Palaruvi after applying hibiscus buds and chicken eggs.' In a separate video, when asked why there was no egg for breakfast, she replied with characteristic sarcasm that she had already consumed 100 eggs that morning and would not eat them without hibiscus buds.

Shobana has also announced plans to lodge a complaint with the Kerala Assembly Speaker against MLA Sajeendran, accusing him of making false allegations on the floor of the House.

A Political Career Spanning Three Parties

The 64-year-old politician brings considerable baggage — and resilience — to this latest episode. She was elected to the Kerala Assembly three times from Chengannur as a Congress legislator. In 2005, she resigned from the Congress after siding with the faction led by veteran leader K. Karunakaran, who went on to form the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran), which later aligned with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). She contested the 2006 Assembly election but lost.

After a period on the political margins, Shobana joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections and subsequently headed two state-run corporations during the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's tenure — including, eventually, the Oushadhi chairpersonship that now sits at the heart of this controversy. Notably, the son of K. Karunakaran was her party president during their time together in the Karunakaran-led outfit, underlining the web of factional loyalties that has defined her career.

What Happens Next

The promised inquiry by the Health Ministry will be the critical variable. Whether the row remains a political point-scoring exercise or escalates into formal action depends on what evidence the investigation surfaces — particularly around the use of official funds and medical personnel for an allegedly undocumented procedure. The matter is likely to resurface in the Assembly during the inquiry period.