ThiruvananthapuramJanuary 22, 2026 11:46 PM IST
First published on: Jan 22, 2026 at 09:00 PM IST
Senior CPI(M) leader and Kerala minister Saji Cheriyan is not new to controversy. The 60-year-old who unleashed a storm with his anti-Muslim remarks before being forced to retract them on Wednesday was forced to step down as minister in July 2022 over his anti-Constitution remarks, only to make a re-entry six months later after the Kerala High Court rejected a plea seeking his disqualification.
“I would say the Constitution has been written in such a manner to ensure that the maximum number of people are looted. The Indians penned down what the British prepared,” he had said at a party event while referring to secularism and democracy as “kuntham and kudachakran (spear and umbrella spoke)” to indicate its insignificance.
Rising through the CPI(M) ranks through student politics, Cheriyan’s clout in Alappuzha grew during current Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s tenure as the party’s state secretary and eventually went on to serve as the CPI(M)’s Alappuzha district secretary. Though he was seen as close to the late V S Achuthanandan — the former CM also hailed from the district — he sided with Vijayan during the factional feud between the two leaders.
In January 2024, the two-term Chegannur MLA again left the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government red-faced over his controversial remarks about Christian leaders who attended a Christmas programme organised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“They (the leaders) were silent on the violence in Manipur but had goosebumps when they were served wine and cakes,” the 60-year-old said, sparking protests from Christians.
Cheriyan, who hails from the non-Catholic Church of South India, was forced to withdraw his statement after the Kerala Bishops Council said Christians would not cooperate with the state government unless the minister retracts his words.
“I withdraw the remarks related to wine and cake if the Church found it insulting. But there is no change in my political stance that the leaders should have raised the Manipur issue in their meeting with the PM,” he had said.
Cheriyan’s tenure as Cultural Affairs Minister also grabbed the headlines in August 2024 after he was accused of inaction on the Hema Committee report, which looked into the issues that women professionals of the Malayalam film industry faced.
Cheriyan also kicked up a storm for initially defending veteran director Ranjith, then the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy, faced sexual harassment allegations.
