CPM not against religion, Speaker Shamseer's words 'twisted by divisive forces': MV Govindan

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state secretary M V Govindan on Wednesday lashed out at the BJP and Congress for courting 'unwanted controversy' around A N Shamseer's remarks.

"The CPM is not against any religion. We are not against the faith protection day observed by the Nair Service Society either. CPM has always encouraged everyone to practise their belief systems at liberty," Govindan said.

"We believe this is a pure attempt at saffronisation and mere politicisation of the issue," he said.

The CPM state secretary said that faith should not be pursued at the cost of science. Faith, science and myth should be viewed separately, he stressed.

"Everyone can practice their beliefs and everyone is entitled to their opinion," he further noted.

He added the Congress should perhaps read 'Glimpses of World History' and 'The Discovery of India' written by Jawaharlal Nehru to gain some perspective.

"Even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remarked that Ganesha was made through plastic surgery," Govindan said.

Throwing its weight behind Kerala assembly speaker A N Shamseer, CPM on Wednesday said the Thalassery MLA need not apologise for his comments against the Centre's education policy.

The party, in its official statement, said Shamseer has not done anything wrong by commenting against the plans to teach children Hindu myths instead of scientific temper.

During an event organised at a school in Ernakulam district a few days ago, Shamseer allegedly accused the Centre of trying to teach children Hindu myths instead of the modern advancements in science and technology.

The BJP and outfits such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and NSS has launched a campaign against Shamseer stating they are aggrieved over the speaker's remarks on Lord Ganesh and the mythical 'pushpaka vimanam'.