Can’t slam the Constitution and stay an MLA

The inevitable and inglorious resignation of Kerala’s Culture and Fisheries Minister and senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Saji Cheriyan after he made disparaging statements against the Indian Constitution, which raised a huge political storm and put the ruling government under tremendous pressure in the south Indian state, must be a reminder to all people’s representatives who, despite taking oath to abide by India’s supreme statute, often indulge in anti- Constitutional activities.

While addressing a meeting in the south Kerala district of Pathanamthitta on July 2, Cheriyan said India’s Constitution condones exploitation and it is written in a way helping to plunder people and that it was prepared by the British and written by an Indian.

This was quite an unexpected statement from a seasoned politician like Cheriyan who worked at the grassroot level before becoming a lawmaker and a minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet. What appalled many was his reluctance to accept his mistake immediately after the controversial speech became public and his attempt to cling on to power, citing the proverbial slip of the tongue.

He even blamed the media for the selective leak of his speech. But the minister eventually had to tender his resignation thanks to the tough stand taken by the CPI(M)’s central leadership. What made his position untenable apparently was his wayward utterance that the Constitution was written by the British, which was akin to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader MS Golwalkar’s opinion that the Constitution was a colonial bequest to the nation.

Thus it became impossible for CPI(M) to allow the minister to continue because the Left party has been leading agitations, in association with several like-minded organisations across India, to defend the Constitution. Though the minister has quit, it is intriguing to note that he continues to be a lawmaker and the studied silence of his party on the issue, though the Congress-led opposition has been demanding his ouster.

He should immediately resign from the Constitutional post in the best interests of our country and the onus is now on the CPI(M) to ensure his exit from the Assembly. The incident also throws light on the lack of understanding about the Indian Constitution - the most progressive and democratic statute in the world - among our political leaders and elected representatives.

In fact, they must try to understand what India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said on the objective of the Constitution. “The first task of the Constituent Assembly is to free India through a new Constitution, to feed the starving people and clothe the naked masses and to give each Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capability.”

This statement reflected in the resolution passed on January 22, 1947 and inspired the shaping of the Constitution into a dynamic document. The resolution is the inner theme of the Preamble, which should be read, referred and remembered.

The best thing about the Kerala controversy is that it has forced us to examine the founding vision and principles of the Constitution. It has now become incumbent on all of us to revisit these principles and decide what needs to be done to keep the vision alive.