'My statement was distorted': Saji Cheriyan backtracks on communal polarisation remarks amid criticism
Saji added that he was withdrawing his statement, while reiterating that he remained a strong opponent of communalism.
Saji added that he was withdrawing his statement, while reiterating that he remained a strong opponent of communalism.
Saji added that he was withdrawing his statement, while reiterating that he remained a strong opponent of communalism.
Minister for Culture Saji Cherian on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial remarks on the alleged communal polarisation in local body elections in Malappuram and Kasaragod districts. His remarks had triggered widespread criticism from various quarters, including Samastha and the Muslim League.
"The ongoing campaign that twists the words I spoke the other day to portray them as being against a particular community deeply pains me. These factually incorrect campaigns are an affront to the secular stance I have adopted and maintained throughout my life," the minister said in a statement.
Asserting that his remarks were distorted, Cherian said his words had "caused distress and pain" to many of 'his brothers'. He added that he was withdrawing his statement, while reiterating that he remained a strong opponent of communalism.
Earlier, the minister had said that merely looking at the names of winners in the Malappuram district panchayat and the Kasaragod municipality would reveal evident communal polarisation. Chandrika, the mouthpiece of the Muslim League, described the remark as resembling far-right rhetoric. It recalled a 2019 remark by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally in Jharkhand, where he said those indulging in arson could be identified by their clothes.
Criticising Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM, Samastha's mouthpiece Suprabhatham said in an editorial that the party's approach was "extremely dangerous" and would endanger secular Kerala. The article drew parallels between statements made by former minister A K Balan and Saji Cherian and those of Sangh Parivar leaders.
However, the minister reiterated that his stand against communalism has earned him many bitter experiences. "As a CPM activist who has consistently and strongly spoken out against attacks on minority communities across the country, my 42 years of public life have never compromised with any form of communalism. Because of this stand, I have also faced many bitter experiences- a fact well known to the people of my hometown and those who know me," he said.