THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KANNUR: Coming down heavily on the CPM decision to re-induct Saji Cherian into the cabinet, the Congress has decided to observe black day on January 4. At the DCC, block, mandalam, and booth levels, Congress workers will hoist black flags and wear black badges. The party will also explore legal options on the issue.
The UDF criticised the home department for giving a clean chit to Saji Cherian. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said the probe against Cherian was sabotaged with the connivance of Pinarayi Vijayan.
“The investigating team had not bothered to check the video of the speech he delivered. The probe into the issue was a farce. The investigation was sabotaged by the chief minister to allow Saji Cherian go scot-free,” said Satheesan.
State Congress president K Sudhakaran said the CPM was challenging the spirit of the Constitution. “The evidence against Saji Cherian in the controversial speech is still available. Without verifying the evidence, the police have taken a strange stand that no evidence was available,” he said. “Can the CPM alone decide that there was nothing anti-constitutional in his speech? If the party was convinced that he had not said anything against the Constitution or there was no breach of oath, then why did he step down from office? It is high time the CPM leadership came out with a clarification”, said Sudhakaran. “With this decision, the CPM is mocking the entire legal systemm” he said.
The CPM has always taken a contemptuous stance against the Constitution. Like the RSS, the CPM too has adopted a style of taking an anti-constitutional stand. The party which observed a Constitution protection day is trying to reinduct a person who had insulted the Constitution into the ministry,” he said.
Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal said that Saji Cherian is being ordained as a saint due to lapses on the part of the police. “The police department has bent its spine following threat from the CPM. It is certain that there was a top-level conspiracy hatched by the CPM leader and the government. This has happened despite strong evidence against Saji Cherian,” said Venugopal.
BJP state president K Surendran too termed the decision unconstitutional. The CM should explain whether the punishment for insulting the constitution is mere six months, he said.