Congress, CPI (M) hurt Hindu sentiments to appease certain sections: Anil Antony on Shamseer's remark

Aug 03, 2023

New Delhi [India], August 3 : Reacting to Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer's controversial remark, the BJP's National Secretary Anil Antony on Thursday accused both Congress and CPI (M) of "acting in unison" in "hurting the sentiments of the Hindu majority" just to "appease certain sections of the minorities". 
"In the last few days, some of the statements of the main leaders of the Communist Party in Kerala is clearly showing their anti-Hindu bias for appeasing certain sections of the community. First, you have the speaker of the Kerala assembly Shamseer who publicly made demeaning comments about Lord ...and then shockingly, CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan backed that statement," Anil Antony said while talking to ANI. 
"This is a recurrence in trends of events which we are seeing more and more in Kerala where both the Communist Party and the Congress are acting in unison. They are repeatedly hurting the sentiments of the Hindu majority just to appease certain sections of the minorities," he added. 
Anil Antony accused the I.N.D.I.A. alliance of trying to divide the country on narrow identities. 
"Sadly, we have the main Opposition parties that have now created a false narrative that they are I.N.D.I.A. But they are all trying to divide this country based on religion, caste, creed and geography just for their narrow political expediencies," he alleged.
Shamseer’s remark that Lord Ganapati is a myth sparked controversy with BJP and Hindu organisations taking to the streets to protest against the speaker.
He made the statement to allege that myths are being taught in schools as science.
“Plastic surgery is a recent invention in medical science. But it is being taught that plastic surgery existed in ancient times. An example was Ganapati, with a man’s body and an elephant’s face. Instead of science, such myths are being promoted,” Shamseer said While inaugurating an education project in Ernakulam.
As a mark of protest against the Speaker's statement, an organisation of the influential Nair community, the Nair Service Society(NSS ) observed Wednesday as “faith protection day”,  urging its members to turn up at Ganapati temples to make special offerings to mark the day.
While Congress and BJP rallied behind the NSS, the ruling CPI (M) stood behind the Speaker. 
"The party is not against any religion or religious belief.  Shamseer's statement was misconstrued. There is no question of Shamseer either expressing regret or withdrawing his comment. What he had stated is absolutely correct," CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan said on Wednsday.