Following a political controversy, Benny Thomas, the brother-in-law of Kerala Electricity and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sunny Joseph, has resigned from his post as Additional Private Secretary to the Minister. The resignation letter was submitted to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.
Benny Thomas, who is married to Minister Sunny Joseph’s sister and serves as the General Secretary of the Kannur District Congress Committee (DCC), had recently been appointed as the Minister’s Additional Private Secretary.
Advertisement
The opposition CPI(M) and its youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), strongly criticized the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government over the appointment.
Advertisement
They accused the Minister of blatant nepotism and pointed to what they described as hypocrisy, noting that the UDF had previously campaigned against similar appointments of relatives during the former Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
The appointment also sparked discontent within Congress circles. Sharp criticism was reportedly voiced during a recent Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) executive meeting, where members emphasized that appointments to ministers’ personal staff should be handled with caution to avoid unnecessary controversies.
Following the KPCC meeting, Minister Sunny Joseph defended the appointment, stating that Benny Thomas had been selected not because he was related to him, but because of his extensive public service record.
The Minister cited Thomas’s previous tenure as President of the Ullickal Grama Panchayat and his role as Joseph’s chief election agent as key reasons for the appointment.
In his resignation statement, Benny Thomas said he was stepping down to ensure that the ongoing political controversy would not tarnish the reputation of Minister Sunny Joseph or adversely affect the image of the ruling government.
Advertisement
