George Kurian, who took oath as a minister of state in the third Modi Government, is considered an organisation man within the Kerala BJP.
His entry into the Union Council of Ministers of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is a surprise. He is the second Union minister from Kerala, the other being the actor-politician Suresh Gopi.
63-year-old Kurian, an MA LLB, has been associated with the BJP since its formation in 1980. He served as the state general secretary and the national secretary of the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha(BJYM) before getting a leadership position in the state BJP.
He was also involved in the Yuva Morcha activities under the leadership of Pramod Mahajan, Govind Acharya, and Venkaih Naidu.
Kurian belongs to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, one of the most prominent Christian churches in Kerala. His inclusion in the Modi Ministry is part of the BJP’s strategy to ensure Christian representation, taking into consideration Suresh Gopi’s victory in Thrissur, where Christians in large numbers voted for the actor-politician.
The BJP hopes to win a few seats with the support of the Christian community which constitutes just over 18% of the state’s population.
Kurian also served as a member of the national executive of th BJP. He started ideologically sailing with the Sangh Parivar in Kerala’s Christian belt at a time when the community was not on the BJP’s radar.
A native of Kottayam, Kurian is currently general secretary of BJP’s Kerala unit. He is the first Malayali to serve as vice-chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities. Previously, he was an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for the former Union Minister of State for Railways, O Rajagopal.
His wife Annakutty, has retired from the Indian Army as a nursing officer.