Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has accepted the resignation of Kerala Fisheries, Culture, and Youth Affairs Minister Saji Cherian. Cherian’s resignation was accepted on the recommendation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who will now handle the portfolios.
Cherian had resigned from his position after facing a backlash from the opposition after he allegedly made degrading remarks about the Indian Constitution. “I have resigned and it’s my personal decision. I have never ever defamed the Constitution. A particular part from the speech was taken and the media fabricated it to weaken the CPIM and the LDF,” Cherian said.
Kerala Minister Saji Cheriyan apologises over his remark against constitution
Bharatiya Janata Party’s KJ Alphons said he is happy that the minister has resigned. “Unbelievable how a minister can be so stupid as to use such words for the Constitution. It’s a shame that the ministers feel they can desecrate the Constitution of India,” he said. Cherian courted controversy while addressing a CPI-M programme at Mallapally in Pathanamthitta district on Monday and had said in his remark that India’s constitution can be used to “loot” the people of the country.
“British prepared it, Indians wrote it and implemented it. It’s been 75 years. India wrote a beautiful constitution that can be used to loot. In that constitution, there are few places that have references to secularism, and democracy but it can be exploited,” he had said. Earlier in the day, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said that the party was holding discussions to take an appropriate step in the said matter.
Kerala BJP vice president KS Radhakrishnan had termed Cherian’s remarks “a wilful statement”. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly VD Satheesan wrote on Tuesday that Saji Cherian “has made the most insulting statements about Indian Constitution.”
