Kerala minister Saji Cherian on Wednesday announced his resignation, a day after courting controversy by criticizing the Constitution, saying it “forgives exploitation” and is written in a way that “robbers” the people of the country. helps to.
At a press conference at the Chief Minister’s Office, the senior CPI(M) leader announced that he was stepping down, but also said that his remarks were “misunderstood”.
He insisted that it was never his intention to disrespect the Constitution, for which he has the highest regard and respect. “I never intended to insult the Constitution. People misunderstood what was said in the speech. My speech was misinterpreted,” he said.
Stating that his party has always stood by the Constitution, Cherian said, “These are extraordinary times that my party is facing. We have always protected constitutional values.”
Cherian, who holds the cultural affairs and fisheries portfolios in the cabinet, said he has submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Cherian said that it was his independent decision to step down as the minister.
The matter came to the fore when News18 Kerala On Tuesday, the CPI(M) leader broadcast a recent speech he made during a political event at Mallapally in Pathanamthitta district. His remarks immediately created a political storm and the opposition demanded his sacking.
“The Indian Constitution has been written to loot the people. The constitution written by Indians was laid down by the British. It has been implemented for 75 years. I will not believe, whatever others will say, India Has written an ‘attractive’ constitution which can be used to loot. Yes, some references like secularism and democracy have been added at some places but this is a constitution made for loot,” the minister said in Malayalam.
The minister was inaugurating a program to honor the weekly political commentary program in its 100th episode by the regional committee of CPI(M) at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district on Sunday. He made the remarks in the presence of two members of the state assembly, Mathew T Thomas of the Janata Dal (S) and Pramod Narayan of the Kerala Congress (M), both constituents of the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF). ,
“I have not made any statement against the Constitution,” Cherian said in a statement on Tuesday. “The news reports that I have made derogatory statements against the Constitution are distorted versions by the media. As a public servant, I was expressing concern that a large majority in the country is not getting the benefits of social justice. However, I do regret if my words through which I tried to express this sentiment out loud were distorted and misinterpreted. ,
BJP state president K Surendran termed Cherian’s statement as “violation of oath of office and sedition”. “After ousting Saji Cherian from the cabinet, a case of sedition should be registered against him,” he said. “It is not a slip of the tongue. He also insulted the judiciary.”
(with PTI inputs)
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