Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the brewing controversy over the remark on Lord Ganesha, CPM state secretary M V Govindan claimed neither he nor Kerala assembly speaker A N Shamseer termed the Hindu deity a myth.
At a Delhi presser, he criticised the media for misinterpreting his speech and circulating baseless allegations against him.
Meanwhile, he asserted that CPM won't take any stance against believers.
“Believers have the right to believe in Ganapati or Allah. I didn't term Ganapati a myth or endorse Allah as a non-mythical concept,” said the CPM leader.
During an event organised at a school in Ernakulam district recently, Shamseer allegedly accused the Centre of trying to teach children Hindu myths instead of accomplishments in science and technology. The speaker had said that 'Lord Ganesha was a myth and the belief had no scientific basis'.
The remark triggered a controversy after BJP and right-wing outfits launched a campaign against the speaker and demanded his resignation.
The CPM-led ruling front landed in a tough spot after the Nair Service Society started a protest against Shamseer and demanded the speaker issue an apology.
In response, Govindan backed Shamseer and declared that there was no need to issue an apology.
Govindan had argued 'Ganapati is a myth': “Is the concept of Ganapati science? Is it not a myth?” he asked a journalist while addressing the press in Thiruvananthapuram.
Now, in what is seemingly a U-turn, perhaps to quell the protests, while accusing the media of misinterpreting his words, he also slammed the BJP 'for using believers for political gains'.
