Kerala Minister for Culture, Fisheries, and Film and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Saji Cheriyan on Tuesday, 5 July, apologised for his controversial statements criticising the Constitution, saying his remarks were misinterpreted.This comes after Cheriyan had said that the Constitution "condones exploitation" and was written in a way to help "plunder" people of the country.
The remarks were made at a recently held political programme at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.The issue came to light after visuals of the speech were aired by regional television channels on Tuesday, drawing criticism.Cheriyan further alleged that India does not accept workers' protests and claimed this was the reason certain "millionaires" in the corporate sector have increased their assets tremendously.Several people, including Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, hit out at the controversial remarks. Cheriyan's statements were also condemned by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Sudhakaran. They urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to remove Cheriyan from the Cabinet and threatened to seek legal remedies against him.