Union Minister of State for Tourism, Alphons Kannanthanam, said that he wants to act as a messenger of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the people of Kerala. “My job is to convert the dreams of the prime minister to reality. Christians can be a part of Modi’s dream as his dream is to send every child to school, get food on every table, have a house and toilet for everybody, and get people a decent job which will enable them to live with dignity,” Kannanthanam told THE WEEK.
The Kerala unit of the BJP is organising a grand reception for Kannanthanam on September 10, on his first visit to the state after assuming office as Union minister. The party is also organising a road show for the minister at his hometown in Kottayam district.
Kannanthanam is the first Union minister from Kerala in the NDA government. An IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre, he had the reputation of being a dedicated and honest civil servant. He is also a practicing advocate. Kannanthanam became famous while he served as the commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority in the 1990s, and ordered demolition of around 15,000 illegal buildings. He retired from the civil services in 2006 and became an LDF-supported independent MLA from Kanjirappally constituency. In 2011, Alphons joined the BJP and became its national executive member.
