THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Just a year old, the second Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet suffered its first casualty on Wednesday when Fisheries and Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian quit a day after his remarks on the Constitution triggered a major controversy.
Cherian, whose comments during an event organised by CPM’s Mallappally area committee on July 3 put the party and the government on the backfoot, handed over his resignation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the evening. Acting on the CM’s advice, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan accepted the resignation. There is no immediate replacement for Cherian and the CM has taken over his portfolios.
Cherian told reporters that he took the decision as it would not have been appropriate for him to continue, with the CM already seeking legal advice in the matter. However, he stood by his words, saying they were misinterpreted and that he had not insulted the Constitution per se. Meanwhile, the Opposition UDF and BJP demanded that Cherian should step down as MLA too.
The CPM didn’t drag its feet before deciding that Cherian should step down. Now, it can cite the resignation as an example of taking a high moral and ethical stand. The unexpected resignation of Cherian, who was recently promoted to the CPM state secretariat and was seen as a rising star within party circles, came after 30 hours of high drama starting at 1pm on July 5, when the video of his July 3 speech went viral.
Soon after the video came out, CPM sensed the gravity of the situation and realised it could backfire. Within hours, the CM sought an explanation from Cherian, forcing him to come up with a statement expressing regret in the assembly. Though CPM initially tried to downplay the remark, terming it a slip of the tongue, things took a turn for the worse after the governor indicated that he expected the CM to take appropriate action. By then, CPI too had conveyed its deep displeasure over the unwarranted remarks.
The CPM soon held a late night secretariat meeting where it assessed the options, including legal possibilities. Law Minister P Rajeeve explained the legal aspects. “If anyone approaches the court, and it makes an adverse remark, the minister will be forced to quit. Such a scenario should better be avoided,” was how a CPM central committee member put it.
The meeting termed the situation serious and decided to discuss it again on Wednesday. A section within the Left and CPM had by then said Cherian should ideally stay away for the time being. Next morning, the government was keen to avoid a face-off with the Opposition in the assembly.
Unsurprisingly, the session was adjourned within eight minutes due to political furore that the controversy had unleashed. Though an available party secretariat meeting further discussed the matter in the morning, no final call was taken.
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The secretariat meeting attended by the CM, state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Politburo member A Vijayaraghavan and Cherian himself, decided to wait and watch. CPM was still exploring legal possibilities at the time. In fact, Cherian appeared confident as he asked the media, “Why should I resign” while leaving after the meeting.
A slew of complaints against him had already been filed before the police by then, forcing the government to seek legal advice from the Advocate General.CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in Delhi that the state leadership will take an ‘appropriate’ action. The CM, who consulted legal experts and party colleagues, finally concluded that it would be difficult for the minister to continue, in case of an adverse remark by the court. Pinarayi was also informed by the police that Cherian could be an accused in a case filed in Thiruvalla after a local court there ordered registering a case against the minister.
In the evening, the CM held a closed-door meeting with Cherian and conveyed to him that he should quit. Having arrived at an understanding, the issue didn’t figure in the evening cabinet meeting.
Undoubtedly, the resignation was a political decision by CPM, as Cherian’s remarks were not in line with its current political line, especially in the present scenario where it has been taking on the Sangh Parivar.
“The Left has never shied away from voicing criticism against the Constitution. But trashing it is simply unacceptable, especially in the current national scenario,” said a senior CPM leader. CPI felt relieved that the issue has been settled without delay. “Had Cherian just been a party leader, CPM would have been able to somehow defend his remarks. However, it would have been difficult to justify the words of an individual who was occupying a constitutional position,” said a senior party leader.
That the Cherian episode will trigger another factional feud in CPM remains a possibility. The controversy comes at a time when a party commission led by P K Biju is examining the factional issues in Alappuzha district. The leadership will also check whether any party member was involved in the video being released to the media. With rumours rife, the Mallappally area committee met on Wednesday in the presence of party district secretary A P Udayabhanu.