Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday criticised Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel for his “haughty” statements that he would continue to flout the rules and termed the Minister’s attitude a violation of his oath of office.
In a statement here, Mr. Chennithala asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to oust the Minister from his Cabinet for his open statement that he would flout the statute. “It is the Chief Minister’s duty to do so, without losing time,” Mr. Chennithala said.
Guardian of Constitution
He said the Minister had assumed office after taking oath to the effect that he would uphold the law of the land. He was supposed to be the guardian of the Constitution. His public statement that he would continue to flout rules was very serious. Mr. Chennithala was reacting to Mr. Jaleel’s remarks the other day that he would continue to flout the statutes to ensure justice to those who deserve it.
The Minister had taken such a stance to deflect public attention from the controversies related to ‘mark gifting’ in M.G. University. Mr. Chennithala said he was not against bringing justice to those who deserved it, but such cases could be handled only in accordance with the law.
Violation of provisions
In another statement, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran termed the Minister’s remarks a violation of the constitutional provisions. The Minister was bound by his oath of office to function without favour.
