From correspondents in Kerala, India, 06:30 PM IST

Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Wednesday reiterated his controversial remark that Muslim businessman Farris Abubacker is to be 'hated', saying he has been 'implicated in a kidney racket case in Singapore'.

Achuthanandan last August had termed Abubacker as a person to be 'hated'. The remark had caused ripples in the Communist Party of India-Marxist because Abubacker was a close aide of state party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

The issue then caused a rift in the faction-ridden party. Eyebrows were raised when the party-backed Kairali TV channel gave a two part interview with Abubacker in which Achuthanandan came under heavy attack.

This issue cropped up two weeks back when an internal party document of CPI-M criticized Achuthanandan by terming his remarks against Abubacker as unwarranted.

To a question about the party document, Achuthanandan Wednesday said that he finds no reason to change his stand.

'Don't you know Abubacker is implicated in a kidney racket case in Singapore? And to my knowledge that case still stands, hence I stand by what I said about him,' he told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)