THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Water Resources Minister Mathew T Thomas said on Friday that the JD(S) National leadership’s decision to remove him as minister pained him. “On both times I had to step down without completing the tenure and this pained me. Eearler too he had

The decision was against the principles of the Left,” he said.

The minister said he was liable to obey the party decision. “I will hand over the resignation to the chief minister once the chief minister is back in Thiruvananthapuram. When I functioned in a fair manner, it piqued many persons. They tried to humiliate me and my family personally,” he said, adding that he would continue with the party and the Left.

When asked whether the change was as per the 2016 agreement, he said he was not commenting on it, overriding the national leadership’s stand. He added that though there were differences of opinion within the party, it would never split.