Following insinuation of ‘communist double standards’ over his daughter’s marriage to a US citizen, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has clarified that his daughter was brought up in the US after he and his wife parted ways.
Thomas has said clarified that he and his wife obtained a divorce 20 years ago, after which their children were brought up in the US.
In a long Facebook post on Tuesday, Isaac announced his daughter’s wedding and also replied to criticism.
“Some friends used to raise questions over my children studying in US, as they consider it as double standards on my part,” he said.
“I got divorced 20 years ago. The children were brought up by their mother abroad. I would like to say with regret, that I have had very little role to play in their upbringing and in their studies,” he said.
He said that Sarah was getting married to a public health student at New York University named Max Mecklenburg. “He was a student activist who protested against Iraq war,” he said.
He also said that Sarah was pursuing her doctoral research at New York University, and that she is currently researching car manufacturing labourers in Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Gujarat. He said he would be New York for two or three days for the wedding.
Kerala’s communist leaders have often invited criticism over the activities of their family members when they concern foreign countries, especially the USA. Recently, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was also questioned over a tech company that his daughter owns in Bengaluru, as communists are perceived to be anti-technology.