New Delhi: Alphonse Kannanthanam, former IAS Officer and former MLA, has been made administrator of Chandigarh. Kannanthanam who joined BJP in 2011, is currently a member of BJP’s national executive council.
His posting gains importance for three reasons:
For the past 40 years, this post has been held by the Punjab Governor as an additional charge and the post will be in the rank of a Lt Governor.
Another notable fact is that this is the highest post ever offered by BJP to a Malayali BJP leader of Kerala.
Third, Kannanthanam who is a member of Syro-Malbar Catholic Church ( K M Mani’s community) and a much sought after person for certain bishops of that community, will be the rallying point of those who want to make hay while the sun shines. Obviously, BJP has built a pontoon bridge in the flood waters of current Kerala politics by elevating Kannanthanam for all to see.
Kannanthanam has old friends in the Left camp too. He resigned from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) while holding the post of Land Revenue Commissioner in Kerala to contest the Assembly elections from Kanjirappally constituency in 2006 with the support of the Left Democratic Front. The decision to field him as the LDF candidate was made by CPM overruling opposition from within the Party.
Kannanthanam who enjoyed his moments of glory and power in Kerala politics with the help of CPM and a section of the Syro-Malabar Catholic hierarchy, learnt certain tricks from Kerala Congress leader P C Thomas who found green pastures in the BJP alliance at the national level.
Kannanthanam proved himself a wily politician when he stepped down as a CPM-backed MLA, voluntarily and quite conveniently two months before his term was to expire, and joined the pro-Hindu BJP.
For Kannanthanam, his gamble has paid off after a patient wait for about 6 years. His perseverance and elevation are lessons for the ever bickering BJP leaders in Kerala to learn from.
