Kerala Minister for Fisheries and Culture Saji Cherian has landed himself in trouble by taunting, belittling and humiliating the Indian Constitution and Dr BR Ambedkar, father of the Constitution.
After demands for his sacking poured in from several quarters, including the BJP and the Congress, Cherian did a volte-face and said the media distorted his comments.
Addressing a public meeting at Mallappalli in Pathanamthitta on Sunday, Cherian said the Indian Constitution had nothing for the billions of poor people.
“It is a beautiful Constitution which helps the Government, bureaucracy, and the judiciary to rob the poor people. The Indian Constitution is a document to exploit and harass the billions of poor in the country. Those who drafted the Constitution had simply copied what was dictated by the British colonial masters and put it as the country’s Constitution.
Terms like secularism and socialism are mere hogwash,” said Cherian in the speech which went viral on Tuesday.
He blamed the Constitution for the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer. “This is a Constitution for Adani and Ambani. There is nothing for the poor man in this Constitution,” said Cherian.
He also blamed the judiciary for the pro-rich policies being followed by it. The Minister further alleged that the Constitution was a foolproof mechanism to rob the poor, and this has been going on for the last 75 years.
“This is the Constitution which is quite helpful in stealing and robbing,” said Cherian.
Once the Minister’s speech went viral and the Opposition launched a State-wide protest demanding his arrest and dismissal from the Ministry, Cherian made a volte-face and blamed the media for distorting his speech.
“The Minister has belittled and insulted the Indian Constitution. He should be dismissed from the council of ministers or he should resign his minister’s post,” Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Governor of Mizoram, told reporters at Thiruvananthapuram after presenting a petition to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
Rajasekharan told The Pioneer that the Kerala Governor would call for comments from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan about the controversial speech. Khan said he was closely following what was happening as a fallout of the minister’s speech. “I understand that the Chief Minister is aware of the happenings. I expect appropriate action by the concerned persons because we are all bound to uphold the sacredness of the Constitution,” said the Governor.
The BJP and the Yuva Morcha hit the streets within minutes of the Minister’s speech going viral and they demanded Cherian’s resignation at the earliest.
“He has committed treachery and violated the oath of secrecy that was administered to him during his swearing-in as minister. Cherian is left with only one alternative and that is to quit on his own,” said Rajasekharan who also disclosed that the BJP was consulting legal experts as part of its move to approach the judiciary.
In Delhi, the BJP demanded Cherian’s sacking from the Cabinet, saying he cannot hold an office enabled by the Constitution he has disrespected.
Union Minister V Muraleedharan, a BJP leader from Kerala, said CPI(M) leaders such as Sitaram Yechury describe the Constitution as a template of Indian nationalism but choose to ignore this deliberate attempt to disregard it.
This is shameful and proves their “so-called respect for the Constitution is just for show”, he said while demanding that Cherian be sacked.
“The @CPIMKerala leaders, including Ministers in @VijayanPinarayi’s Cabinet, have crossed all limits of decency in public life. What can we expect from those who toe the Chinese line? CPM never cared or the respected Indian Republic,” Muraleedharan said on Twitter.
While Congress workers marched to Cherian’s office in Alappuzha, the Congress demanded immediate dismissal of Cherian. Congress general secretary organisation KC Venugopal said, “He has not only insulted the Constitution he took an oath to, but Baba Saheb Ambedkar and the ideals of India. He must resign or be removed instantly.”
Congress’ general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter that Cheriyan, who made the most “obnoxious remarks” on the Constitution he swore an oath on, should be sacked immediately.
Facing all-round criticism, Cherian said his speech was portrayed in a distorted manner. “I was blaming the Central Government and Narendra Modi for the present state of affairs. I have high regards for the Constitution,” said Cherian.
The CPI-M immediately fielded its ideologist M A Baby to defend Cherian. “It was a mere slip of the tongue and there is nothing more to it,” said Baby, the polit bureau member of the party.
K Ramkumar, a constitutional expert and leading lawyer, said Cherian has committed an unconscionable sin by insulting the Constitution.
“He has violated and belittled the same Constitution which he had promised to preserve and save. His continuation in the council of Ministers depends on the Governor and Chief Minister. Since Cherian has violated the humiliated Constitution, the Governor has the authority to ask the Chief Minister to drop the former from the council of Ministers. What Cherian said in the Assembly was to save himself from the consequences of the speech. The Minister is in serious trouble,” Ramkumar told The Pioneer.
