In an unexpected move, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed senior party leader from Kerala George Kurian as the minister for state to the new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, alongside Suresh Gopi, the state’s first Lok Sabha MP.
Induction of Kurian — a prominent Christian leader in the party — has been seen as both a gesture of gratitude by the BJP for opening a seat in Kerala with the support of the Christian community and an effort to enhance its outreach to the Christians.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Kurian’s political journey began in his teenage years during the emergency. He was initially attracted to Jaya Prakash Narayan’s speeches, leading him to join the Janata Party. Within the Janata Party, in 1977, Kurian aligned himself with the Jana Sangh, inspired by the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). When the BJP was established in 1980, Kurian joined the party as a teenager, at a time when it was far from being a dominant political force.
Hailing from Kerala’s Kottayam district, where 43.48% of the population is Christian, Kurian assumed the role of district president of Vidyarthi Morcha in 1981. In 1982, the Sangh Parivar led a protest against the construction of a Catholic church near Sabarimala in Nilakkal. The ruling Congress-led government then allocated a one-hectare plot of land located 4 kilometers away from the temple for the Catholic community to build a church.
Triggered by this decision, Sangh Parivar organised violent protests. As a result, many Christian supporters and workers of the BJP-Sangh Parivar alliance distanced themselves from the BJP due to the attacks. However, during this time, Kurian remained steadfast in his support for the BJP. According to a Basti Sahasamyojak, Kurian demonstrated his loyalty to the party despite facing criticisms from his family, relatives, and community.
And in 1983, he joined Yuva Morcha. Throughout his tenure, he has held various positions within the party, ascending from district president to national vice-president. It was during his leadership in Yuva Morcha that Kurian formed a close association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to a Nagar Pramukh, Kurian has been described as a staunch ally of the Modi faction within the BJP.
During the tenure of the first Modi government, Kurian was appointed as a member of the National Minority Commission, later rising to the position of its vice chairman. Kurian’s proficiency in Hindi and English has led to his participation as a translator during key party events attended by Modi and other senior ministers in the state on several occasions.
Also read: How Suresh Gopi, Malayalam Cinema’s Action Hero, Led BJP’s Historic Debut in Kerala Lok Sabha Polls
Kurian, who does not have a seat in either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, is the unexpected addition to the Modi cabinet. His elevation to the Cabinet represents the BJP’s plan to increase its influence in Kerala through interacting with the Christian community, especially, the Syrian Catholic denomination.
It seems that Kurian’s appointment to the government is a part of the BJP’s plan for the 2026 assembly elections. Modi’s effective strategy in Kerala was demonstrated when his handpicked candidate Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat by a substantial margin of more than 74,000 votes. This victory was made possible by the backing of Christians, consolidation of the Hindu Nair community, and women voters in a constituency where the majority of the population is Christians who have historically supported the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Kurian belongs to the Syro-Malabar Catholic community and has close relationships with many Christian organisations and officials in the Catholic Church. His relationships with religious authorities were very important to the BJP’s victory in Thrissur.
BJP’s Christian projects
P.C. Thomas was the first prominent Christian leader to join the BJP in Kerala. Thomas joined the NDA in 2001. Until then he was a headstrong leader of the Kerala Congress M, a close associate of K.M. Mani. Thomas, however, made the decision to part ways when he resisted Mani’s efforts to promote his son Jose K. Mani within the party. In 2001, he established the Indian Federal Democratic Party (IFDP) and aligned himself with the NDA coalition.
P.C. Thomas. Photo: Facebook/Kerala Congress PC Thomas
Recognising his potential, the BJP welcomed Thomas into the fold and appointed him as minister of state for law in the A.B. Vajpayee cabinet. In the subsequent 2004 elections, Thomas contested from Muvattupuzha as an NDA candidate on an IFDP ticket and secured a seat in the Lok Sabha. However, the Supreme Court cancelled the results and disqualified him in 2006 on the ground that he had used his religious background to woo voters during the election.
Despite his efforts, Thomas struggled to sway the Christian community in favour of the BJP. Eventually, he parted ways with the NDA and joined P.J. Joseph’s Kerala Congress, aligning himself with the LDF coalition. In 2010, when Joseph Mani faction joined forces with the anti-merger faction of the Kerala Congress, Thomas switched sides once again and rejoined the NDA in 2015. Notably, during the Modi era, Thomas did not receive the same level of acceptance within the NDA as before.
In 2021, amid disagreements over seat allocations in the assembly election, Thomas exited the NDA and merged his party with the P.J. Joseph faction of the Kerala Congress, subsequently joining the UDF coalition.
Entry of Alphons Kannanthanam
Alphons Kannanthanam, acclaimed as a ‘revolutionary’ bureaucrat, was brought into the BJP. Kannanthanam, who contested from Kanjirapalli with the left support in 2006 before joining the BJP, attracted significant attention at the national level. During that time, he was widely regarded as Modi’s closest confidant. Kannanthanam made history as the first person from Kerala to be inducted into Modi’s cabinet in 2017, bypassing prominent BJP leaders in the state, which led to some discontent among party members.
BJP leader Alphons Kannanthanam with newly inducted union minister Suresh Gopi. Photo: Facebook/Office of Alphons Kannanthanam
Kannanthanam worked tirelessly for the BJP, successfully establishing good relations with various Christian religious leaders. His efforts made the BJP more active among Christians in Kerala to some extent. Kannanthanam’s involvement bolstered the efforts of the then Kerala BJP to gain the favour of the Christian community.
Also read: The South India Story: How The Congress Faltered Yet the BJP’s Saffronisation Plan Didn’t Work
Later, the BJP leadership began directly engaging with Christian religious leaders. In 2017, Amit Shah held discussions with various Christian leaders. The case of Fr. Tom Uzhannalil, who was imprisoned by terrorists in Yemen, became a focal point. Despite interventions by both the state and central governments for his release, the BJP highlighted this as a diplomatic victory of the central government within the Christian community. Upon his arrival at the Delhi airport, Kannanthanam personally met Uzhannalil, who then visited Prime Minister Modi’s residence along with Kannanthanam. Modi held a discussion with Uzhannalil, which significantly enhanced the BJP’s reputation as a ‘trustworthy party’ among Christians.
The BJP has consistently undertaken initiatives to win over the Christian community. For instance, during Modi’s visit to Kerala in 2023, he had met eight Christian leaders, reflecting the party’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its relations with Christians in the state.
The BJP is striving to establish its presence as a significant political entity in Kerala, posing a challenge to the CPI(M) and the Congress. Kurian’s role is expected to facilitate the BJP’s outreach to the Christian minority by bridging the gap between the community and the government.
The saffron party’s strategy in Kerala focuses on attracting Christians while simultaneously expanding Hindu votes. Party leaders believe that once prominent Christian organisations like Syrian Catholics align with the BJP, other Christian groups are likely to follow suit.
Anusha Paul is a journalist based in Kerala.
Read all of The Wire’s reporting on and analysis of the 2024 election results here.
