New Delhi: KJ Alphons, BJP’s face in Kerala and one of new faces introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Union Cabinet, told News 18 that there are ‘nuts’ in every society and one particular party or leader shouldn’t be blamed for lynching or violence.
When asked about cases of mob lynching and communal clashes, Alphons said, “Any incident of lynching, violence or murder is bad and is criminal. Anybody who indulges in these activities must be booked and in jail. The PM himself has said that. In a country of 1.3 billion, there are some people who are nuts. And there are such people all over the world, be it New York, Paris, London or anywhere else,” he said.
He added that because of these “nuts” the “so-called liberal media” blames the PM or the BJP of doing it. “This is extremely unfair. The PM has said that these are criminal acts and he has urged people to grow together.”
Alphons was in news recently last week, when just a day after assuming his new office he created a stir by claiming that BJP had no problem with beef. This he followed with a statement, that foreigners could eat beef in their own countries and then visit India, absolutely in contrast with what he had spoken earlier.
Speaking exclusively to News18, Alphons said that he had been misquoted earlier. Clarifying his position, Alphons said, “I’ve repeatedly said people will decide what they want to eat, no matter what area they belong too. One can’t be more liberal than that. These are non-negotiables in a democracy.”
Alphons who was made MoS (Independent Charge) Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, is a minority in the Union Cabinet twice over — as the only present representative from Kerala and an only Christian.
Alphons represents a community in Kerala whose votes BJP wants crucially if it is to look for a break into the state. BJP, by elevating him as an MoS, will be hoping to create a sense of goodwill among the Christians in the state.
He also will have to perform in his party activities — he has been made poll in-charge of Meghalaya and will be used by the party extensively in their campaign in Kerala. As he told News 18, he can’t wait “to get cracking.”
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