Kochi: The opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) will boycott the swearing-in ceremony of CPM legislator Saji Cheriyan as a minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet.
Cheriyan, the Chengannur MLA, is scheduled to take oath as minister for a second term in the Left Democratic Front after his unceremonious exit from the Cabinet following a controversial speech.
Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan questioned the rationale behind re-inducting Cheriyan into the Cabinet, saying the content of his controversial speech remains intact. "Saji Cheriyan had to resign as he insulted the Constitution. Now, he says he has not spoken like that. Then why did he quit? Cheriyan resigned with the knowledge of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The chief minister should explain how the situation has changed now," Satheesan said.
Satheesan was reacting to reports that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has given his nod for the swearing-in of Cheriyan. The ceremony will take place at 4 pm on Wednesday. Satheesan said nobody from the UDF would attend the ceremony.
The Congress leader asked if the CPM endorsed the opinions Cheriyan expressed in his speech. "If so, we will have to evaluate that the CPM shares the RSS's line on the issue," he said.
Satheesan termed the decision to make Cheriyan a minister 'unethical and wrong'. He said the opposition would explore legal options to stop Cheriyan's re-entry into the Cabinet. "Kerala has seen the government and the governor disagreeing on everything and finally joining their hands. There are middlemen between them. BJP leaders are also involved in it," he said.
The CPM State Secretariat had given the nod to induct Cheriyan again as minister after the Kerala High Court recently dismissed two pleas that sought to disqualify him as a legislator over the speech allegedly insulting the Constitution of India.
The petitions had claimed that Cheriyan's actions attracted disqualification under Section 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Cheriyan had to quit the Left Democratic Front ministry on July 6 as his alleged anti-Constitution remarks had caused quite a furore.
He had then claimed that the decision to step down was personal and not forced upon him.
In his public address at Mallappally, Cheriyan claimed that the Constitution was prepared as directed by the British and that it wasn't meant to protect the commoners.
Cheriyan had said: "The words secularism and democracy have been thrown here and there. But the Constitution is clearly being used to exploit commoners."
