The Congress party in Kerala has welcomed Saji Cheriyan's decision to step down from ministership, but has demanded that he also give up his MLA post and apologise for his anti-Constitution remarks.
State BJP chief K Surendran has also raised the same demand.
Addressing the media shortly after Cheriyan communicated his "personal decision" to resign, Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, expressed disappointment over his refusal to reject the content of his speech delivered during a CPM event at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district on July 3.
"He maintains that his speech was twisted. That the entire speech was not reported by the media. We are lucky that his entire speech was not telecast, we would have fainted listening to it. But the whole of Kerala listened to what was reported," Satheesan said.
BJP Kerala President, in a press release, said Cheriyan has no moral right to continue as an MLA.
"It is essential that he resigns the MLA post to which he took an oath on the Constitution," Surendran said.
In line with RSS ideology
Satheesan who said Cheriyan's remarks were an insult to Ambedkar and the other architects of the Constitution, added that the views expressed were in tune with the ideology of the Sangh Parivar.
"His response was on the lines of RSS founder Golwalkar's disregard for the Indian Constitution.
"What he has done is criminal. That he was a minister when it happened does not guarantee him any special privileges. It is only just that such a person also resigns the MLA post," Satheesan said.
