A ministerial berth for Kerala BJP general secretary George Kurian in the third Narendra Modi government is indeed a reward for a loyal party worker who has been active in the saffron party movement post-Emergency in the late 1970s.
He has been with the BJP since it was founded in 1980.
Hailing from Kottayam district of Kerala, Kurian, a committed BJP worker who held the party flag high during its ups and downs, has never been identified with any of the factions of the saffron party in the state.
Enjoying a good relationship with several national leaders of the BJP, Kurian worked in almost all the key posts of the state party, such as vice president and general secretary, for several years.
Committed to the BJP's core ideology, Kurian was in the state leadership of the BJP's youth wing, when it was headed by Govindacharya, Pramod Mahajan, and Venkaiah Naidu.
A lawyer by profession, Kurian held various posts, including national vice president of the Yuva Morcha, Minority Morcha, and National Council member of the BJP.
During the tenure of the first Narendra Modi government, Kurian was appointed as a member of the National Minority Commission. He was later elevated to the post of its vice chairman.
He was officer on special duty to O Rajagopal when the veteran leader was the union railway minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
The ministerial berth of Kurian, known for his no-nonsense style of functioning, is also widely seen as a message by the saffron party to the Christian community that it wants to further strengthen its bond with them in Kerala.
The party has been reaching out to the Christians, who constitute nearly 20 per cent of the population in Kerala, for the past few years, eager to expand its base.
The leaders of the party have acknowledged the contribution of the Christian community in the stunning electoral victory of the BJP from the Thrissur seat in the Lok Sabha polls.
Kurian's command over Hindi and English has ensured his presence as a translator during significant party programmes attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior ministers in the state several times.
