Appointment of Sunny Joseph’s brother-in-law to his personal staff triggers political row

The appointment of Benny Thomas, brother-in-law of Electricity and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sunny Joseph, as Additional Private Secretary (APS) to the Minister has triggered a political controversy, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanding clarification from the Chief Minister and the Congress leadership.

Mr. Thomas, a native of Ulikkal and a district-level Congress functionary, was included on the first list of 13 appointments to the Minister’s personal staff. The list also includes Youth Congress leader Sudeep James from Kannur as APS, while the remaining members have been appointed on deputation from government service. More than 10 additional appointments can still be made.

Reacting to the appointment, CPI(M) Kannur district secretary K.K. Ragesh alleged that the Minister had turned governance into a family affair by appointing a close relative to a key post. He urged the Chief Minister to intervene and sought the Congress party’s stance on the issue, arguing that the appointment raised questions about transparency.

The controversy has drawn attention because the Congress had strongly protested against a similar appointment during the V.S. Achuthanandan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s tenure when former Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy appointed her daughter-in-law to her personal staff. The Congress also raised similar issues during appointments by E.P. Jayarajan and K.T. Jaleel during the first Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government.

Defending the appointment, Mr. Joseph told The Hindu that Mr. Thomas had decades of political and organisational experience, having served as the Congress and Youth Congress president in Ulikkal, District Congress Committee (DCC) general secretary and president of the Ulikkal grama panchayat. The Minister maintained that there was no rule barring the appointment of relatives to personal staff positions and described Mr. Thomas as a capable political worker who had also served as his chief election agent.

“He was selected on the basis of his experience and ability to assist in the functioning of his office. His years of experience and acumen will be a great asset in assisting the office,” he said, adding that the controversy was unnecessary and should be ignored.

The controversy has fuelled debate within political circles, with Left-affiliated social media groups alleging nepotism in the appointment.