His visiting card reads: ‘KJ Alphons IAS (resigned) Ex-MLA and Member – National Executive BJP’. But Alphons Kannanthanam is better known for the work he did during his tenure as an IAS officer. On his deputation to Delhi as head of Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Alphons had demolished 14,310 illegal mansions in New Delhi. He is the man who gave India her first 100% literate town – Kottayam, Kerala – in 1989. This event had triggered the national literacy movement in India.

But on Thursday, he was at his oratorial best at Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IITGn) to talk about ‘Bureaucracy and Politics in India’ as part of an ongoing event. He talked about his experience as an IAS officer and emphasised how corruption has eaten into this country.

“One needs courage to dream and do the right thing. As commissioner of DDA, I demolished 14,310 illegal buildings and reclaimed land worth Rs10,000 crore,” said Alphons.

He also talked of corruption in bureaucracy. “I never used to call myself a civil servant. I was a member of the civil services. I cannot be anybody’s servant, except for being the servant of the people,” said Alphons. “Everybody in the government says that the system has gone wrong, but I used to say I’m the system and I’ll set it right.”

He went on to say: “But many bureaucrats have become doormats of politicians. I would say 50% of bureaucrats are corrupt and rest do not have courage to stand up. I would say they are also corrupt. Bureaucracy today has no backbone to stand up to most politicians and has become corrupt.”

KJ Alphons resigned from IAS, contested polls in 2006 and became an MLA. He joined BJP in 2011 and today, he is member of its national executive. “My wife and elder son weren’t in favour of me joining politics. But my young one told me to follow my dream. I joined politics because I believe there is real power to actually serve people by making good policies for them.”

A question regarding US’s refusal of visa to CM Narendra Modi came up when Alphons was talking to participants from California Institute of Tech were present.

“I was in the US to have breakfast with the president and a dozen senators too were there. I told them, ‘You think your visa is a very big thing? A lot of Indians get that.’ But I said ‘if you wouldn’t grant him (Modi) visa now, he will decline your request (if you make one) when he will become the prime minister, which I think he is certainly going to be’.”

He went on to say: “He is a man with lot of dignity and that (refusal of visa) is bad for India and US because we are the largest democracy in the world.”