The resignation of Saji Cherian from the State Cabinet could well be a missed opportunity for the politician who patiently climbed the political ladder one rung at a time. Mr. Cherian entered politics through the Students Federation of India and rose through the ranks of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, and Communist Party of India (Marxist) to become a Minister in the second Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by Pinarayi Vijayan last year.
ADVERTISEMENT
Pinarayi supporter
A staunch supporter of Mr. Vijayan, many consider Mr. Cherian a foremost and unchallenged leader in the present CPI(M) in Alappuzha, especially after his election to the party State secretariat earlier this year. He rose to prominence after his victory in the 2018 Chengannur Assembly bypoll necessitated by the death of CPI(M) MLA K.K. Ramachandran Nair. Mr. Cherian retained the Chengannur seat, long considered a Congress bastion, in the 2021 Assembly polls with a huge margin of over 31,000 votes, considered a big achievement of his political career.
However, by making controversial remarks against the Constitution, whether a slip of the tongue or not, Mr. Cherian, who holds a degree in law, seems to have dug his own political grave. His resignation has put the brakes on his rising political graph at least for the time being.
Not new to controversies
Known for his humanitarian activities as the chairman of Karuna Pain and Palliative Care Society, he is not new to controversies. He broke down before cameras while describing the harrowing situation in Chengannur during the 2018 deluge, which received mixed responses at the time. His comments on the child adoption row had invited the ire of party and public alike. He alleged that terrorist elements were behind the K-Rail protest. His stand on the Hema Commission report also received flak from some quarters.