Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday said he has approved Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s recommendation to re-induct Saji Cheriyan as a minister, months after the CPI (M) leader resigned following a furore over his alleged remarks against the Constitution.
The Governor said he took the decision as the CM’s advice is binding on him in such matters.Khan told reporters here whatever he had to say to the chief minister regarding Cheriyan’s induction has been stated, and that he will not be discussing it before the media.The CPI(M) leader had resigned in July last year from the state Cabinet over his alleged remarks against the Constitution during a speech in Pathanamthitta district and the lodging of a criminal case against him in that connection.
Subsequently, the ruling CPI(M) decided on December 30, 2022 to bring him back into the Cabinet and sent a letter to the Governor the next day seeking his convenience for administering the oath of office to the MLA on January 4.
Khan, who returned to the state on Monday, had said that he needs to go through the papers related to Cheriyan’s reinstatement into the Cabinet as it was not a normal case.
