In the recent Cabinet reshuffle, one of the new entrants is former civil servant K.J. Alphons from Kerala, who is from the BJP but not an MP. With independent charge of the Tourism Ministry, Mr. Alphons’ mandate will be to focus on results without having to worry about nurturing a constituency. But his task is cut out as the BJP leadership appears to have sent a message to the bickering State unit with this appointment, the reaction to which has been mixed.
How was he as a bureaucrat?
As an IAS officer, he was not always the ‘ideal’ bureaucrat to his political bosses. His entry into LDF politics upset the Left in 2006. Then, he joined the BJP. With Mr. Alphons becoming a Union Minister, Sangh Parivar activists who had fought against the ‘minority appeasement’ by the LDF and the Congress-led UDF all these years are confused. Many say it is a rude message to the corruption-tainted, non-performing BJP leadership in the State.
As a Sub-Collector at Devikulam in Idukki district of Kerala, he earned the wrath of the ganja mafia and a transfer. In 1992 alone, he was transferred twice. He angered the powers that be in Delhi when he demolished unauthorised buildings.
He also earned the displeasure of his senior colleagues when he floated his own NGO ‘Janasakthi’ while in service. Mr. Alphons was selected by the Time magazine for its list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1995. The other Indian was Mukesh Ambani. From ‘the dumbest in the school’ (in his own words) to the eighth rank holder in the Civil Services examination in 1979; from a man who gave his home town the moniker ‘Land of Letters’ to the one who earned for himself the sobriquet ‘Demolition Man’ and from a Left legislator to a BJP Minister, the public life of Mr. Alphons was always on the move, sometimes colourful, often solo.
When did he join politics?
His entry into LDF politics in 2006 after resigning from service too was fraught with opposition as his candidature from the Christian heartland of Kanjirappally in Kottayam district upset many in the CPI(M) which had traditionally contested from the segment, often unsuccessfully. Mr. Alphons took the segment for the Left but had to flee to adjacent Poonjar for the 2011 Assembly polls. Mr. Alphons set up his election office and began work there, when suddenly on March 24, 2011, he resigned as MLA, abandoned the campaign and made the transformation from a Leftist to a Sangh Parivar activist, all in a matter of hours.
Is he happy with the new post?
His induction into the Union Cabinet too has elicited mixed reactions. Some in the State BJP are not happy, but Mr. Alphons views it differently.
“Modiji has always given responsibilities to competent and efficient persons. He has always talked about the inclusive nature of our democracy. The inclusion of a Christian would only make it more meaningful,” he says.
Is there a political subtext to his appointment? “There could be. Ours is a democracy and party politics is an inseparable part of the political process. Modiji has a dream and we have to sell his dream to Kerala. Kerala cannot just miss it,” he adds, pointing out that the Christian hierarchy has congratulated him on his elevation.
“We are fighting the same fight: for the poor, against corruption. After all, that is what Christianity is all about. Christ fought against corruption, isn’t it,” he asks.
What is the BJP strategy?
Courting Christians’ support has been part of the BJP’s strategy for long. With Kerala Congress, the Catholic Church’s bridge to power politics, losing its influence and the Congress in the doldrums, many believe that in the game plan for 2019, Mr. Alphons could be the party’s way to the Christian vote bank. The strategy had succeeded in Goa, where the Latin Catholic Church holds sway. However, with the community spread over a dozen Episcopal churches, scores of Pentecostal churches and hundreds of non-denominational congregations, the ball game may be different in Kerala. And in the fragile social equations of the State, the political demeanour of other communities could also count. If the strategy pays off, Mr. Alphons can take credit for expanding the acceptability of a party which was out of Kerala’s parliamentary politics till 2014.
