The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has sought to put to rest the controversy caused by the former Culture and Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian’s allegedly contentious remarks against the Constitution.
CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters here on Friday that Mr. Cherian’s resignation had drawn a line under the debate. “Mr. Cherian’s stepping down has rendered the subject irrelevant,” he said.
Mr. Balakrishnan dismissed the Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demand for Mr. Cherian’s ouster as a legislator. “Has any MLA resigned merely because the Opposition demanded so?” he countered.
Mr. Balakrishnan said Governor Arif Muhammad Khan was yet to notify Mr. Cherian’s resignation. The CPI(M) had not discussed how to fill the vacuum in the Cabinet. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would reallocate the portfolio as he deemed fit.
Mr. Balakrishnan said the party would examine the provenance of the heavily redacted video clip that triggered the controversy. “It surfaced in social media first,” he said.
Mr. Balakrishnan said Mr. Cherian’s resignation was “appropriate and well-timed.” The former Minister had set an example by upholding the Constitution. He scoffed at the Opposition’s allegation that Mr. Cherian’s words reflected the CPI(M)’s inherent disdain for the founding document.
“The CPI(M) is at the forefront of the struggle to protect and preserve India’s sovereignty, secularism and democracy. The party exists and works within Constitutional bounds. The Constitution ensures that India remains a secular democracy. The CPI(M)’s charter testifies to its constitutional nature,” he said.
Mr. Cherian had understood that his certain words ran against the grain of the CPI(M)’s position on the Constitution. He immediately offered to resign. The CPI(M) State secretariat had met soon after parts of Mr. Cherian’s speech surfaced in the public domain.
Mr. Cherian unreservedly admitted his mistake in the party secretariat. He said some avoidable words had inadvertently entered his speech. Mr. Cherain also admitted the error publicly later. The media had distorted Mr. Cherian’s speech out of context and did not analyse it in its entirety.
When asked why Mr. Cherian had initially refuted reports regarding his impending decision. Mr. Balakrishnan said: “As a CPI(M) member, he is bound to maintain such a posture outside till the party formally announces the decision.”
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