Thiruvananthapuram: Former Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson (IAS: 1980: KL), has come into focus following a political exchange over his recent claim that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had suggested that he contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket.
The 1980-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer served as Kerala’s Chief Secretary from January 2015 to February 2016 before retiring from the civil service. The Kerala government’s list of former Chief Secretaries records his tenure from January 31, 2015, to February 29, 2016.
Who Is Jiji Thomson?
Jiji Thomson is a retired IAS officer who held several senior administrative positions in Kerala and the Union government. According to Cochin Shipyard’s official director profile, he holds a BA and MA in Economics from the University of Kerala and a Master’s degree in Social Science in Public Economic Management from the University of Birmingham, UK.
Read Also: Kerala Mulls IAS-Led Panel to Manage Sabarimala Pilgrimage Amid TDB Concerns
Before becoming Kerala Chief Secretary, Thomson served as Director General of the Sports Authority of India under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports from March 2013 to January 2015. He had also served as Managing Director of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), among other senior assignments.
After his retirement from the IAS, Thomson served as a non-official part-time independent director on the board of Cochin Shipyard Limited from July 2017 to July 2020. The company’s records confirm his appointment from July 15, 2017, and identify him as a former Kerala Chief Secretary and 1980-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer.
Thomson’s Literary Work
Apart from his administrative career, Thomson has also written books. His work “Nothing Official” received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Humour for 2002.
His other published works include Singing After the Storm, Kedukattile Neythiri and Nothing Personal, according to the Indian Association of Life Skills Education’s profile of the former bureaucrat.
What Is the Current Controversy?
The latest controversy follows Thomson’s account that Gyanesh Kumar, who was then a serving IAS officer, suggested during a 2016 flight to Delhi that Thomson contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Pathanamthitta on a BJP ticket. Thomson said he declined the suggestion because he had no interest in electoral politics. The account has been reported by multiple news outlets.
BJP state secretary Jiji Joseph subsequently disputed the account’s political context and alleged that Thomson had previously met BJP leaders and expressed an interest in working with the party. Joseph cited Thomson’s participation in a 2017 BJP Minority Morcha event and said he had been asked to invite Thomson to the programme. These are Joseph’s claims and have not been independently established as evidence that Thomson sought a BJP position.
Joseph also linked Thomson’s participation in the 2017 event to his subsequent appointment as an independent director of Cochin Shipyard. However, the company’s official records establish the appointment and its date but do not establish a connection between the BJP event and the appointment.
Interestingly, Thomson had also publicly declined a reported suggestion from Congress leaders to contest the 2021 Kerala Assembly election from Vattiyoorkavu. In a 2021 report, he said he had no plans to contest from the constituency or elsewhere.
