THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the CPM maintains that it decided to bring Saji Cherian back to cabinet after a clean chit from the court, the party was always keen to bring back its prominent Christian minority face from central Kerala to the cabinet.
More than legal clearance, the party was eager to bring him back due to political reasons, said sources. “The party decided to wait for six months for his return,” a leader from Alappuzha told TNIE. “At the time of his resignation itself, the leadership decided not to replace him with any other leader. The CPM and Pinarayi Vijayan know his value as a mediator in both the party and the government. I think more than anything, this has worked in favour of Saji at a time when everybody thought he was finished”, he added.
Earlier during discussions on Saji’s re-entry to the cabinet, the CPM had maintained that the party decided to ask for his resignation not on the basis of any legal grounds. The CPM leadership had pointed out that the party asked him to resign even before a case was registered on the basis of a court’s direction.
It was a decision taken on the question of morality, a secretariat member told TNIE. “At a time when the party was organising a campaign to protect the constitution, a senior leader like Saji making such a statement had undermined the whole process. That is why the party decided to act”, he said.
At the secretariat meet on Friday, state secretary M V Govindan is learnt to have said that in view of the High Court dismissing a petition seeking Saji’s disqualification from the assembly, and the police report giving him a clean chit, he can be brought back to the cabinet.
He further pointed out that, in 2016 when E P Jayarajan resigned from the first Pinarayi cabinet, the party had taken a decision even before judicial intervention. When EP got a clean chit, he was brought back. Since the judiciary and executive have given him a clean chit, there’s no impediment for his return, he said.