THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Kodikunnil Suresh MP on Saturday said that if Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was a renaissance leader, his daughter should have married a man belonging to Scheduled Caste. He also said that there are many young people in the CPM. The Congress MP made the controversial statement during a dharna demanding a CBI probe into SC/ ST fund fraud.

Kodikunnil also lashed out at the CM over the appointment of A Sampath as the private secretary of Devaswom minister K Radhakrishnan. "Even though the CPM is claiming that it has given the Devaswom department to K Radhakrishnan who belonged to Scheduled Caste, Pinarayi had appointed his close aide to control the minister," he said.

He also accused the Pinarayi government of ignoring the Scheduled Castes. "People belonging to the Scheduled Castes were neglected even during the formation of the cabinet. Scheduled Castes are being neglected in appointments of officials and even in PSC appointments," he added.