Saji Cherian likely to return to Pinarayi Cabinet on January 4, Congress to observe it as ‘black day’

The government has informed Governor Arif Mohammad Khan of the decision to reinduct Cherian, who held the portfolios of fisheries and culture.

The date for his swearing-in ceremony would be decided based on the Governor’s convenience. However, he is likely to be sworn in on 4 January.

Congress to observe black day

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, K Sudhakaran, said his party would observe 4 January as a black day.

“If he had not violated the Constitution, why did the CPI(M) ask him to step down? Even after violating the Constitution, what investigation did the government conduct? Is there any report available on that investigation,” he asked.

On 6 July, this year, Cherian resigned from the cabinet over his alleged remarks against the Constitution, and after a criminal case was filed against him.

A three-minute video clip of Cherian addressing a CPI(M) event at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta had gone viral.

The video purportedly showed him saying that “India has a beautifully written Constitution. But, I would say that the Constitution is written to rob the people.”

He reportedly went on to say that an Indian had written the Constitution prepared by the British. “Though there are traces of a few good things such as democracy and secularism in the Constitution, it aims to exploit the common man,” the video showed him as saying.

Cherian later apologised and told the state Assembly that his speech was misinterpreted.

Cherian insulted Constitution: K Muraleedharan

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member K Muraleedharan said that the Chief Minister’s decision to bring back Cherian into the cabinet was “wrong” as the government ought to have waited for the court’s order in the criminal case against the former minister.

“It is not right. He (Cherian) did not criticise the Constitution, he insulted it. Without waiting for the court’s decision, the Marxist party arbitrarily decided to bring him back into the Cabinet,” he said.

The Congress leader told reporters that if someone else moved court against Cherian, there could be a situation where he would have to resign again and it would not bode well for the Left government.

Cherian unaware of CPI(M) decision

Meanwhile, Cherian told reporters that he was unaware of the CPI(M) state secretariat’s decision to reinstate him as a minister.

While the criminal case was pending adjudication, the Kerala High Court on 8 December dismissed two pleas seeking a declaration that he was not entitled to hold the office of MLA in view of his speech.

The petitioners sought the two-time MLA’s disqualification under Section 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The high court said no provision could be found in the Representation of People Act to disqualify the MLA.

Cherian’s speech had created a political row in the state with the proceedings of the state Assembly being suspended for a day due to protests by the opposition demanding that Cherian resign or be sacked which finally resulted in his resignation from his cabinet post on 6 July.

A close confidant of Vijayan, Cherian is the CPI(M)’s one of the strongmen in central Kerala. He had rallied various communities behind the LDF during the past elections.

(With PTI inputs)