The BJP has filed a police complaint against Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer, charging that he had insulted the religious beliefs of Hindus by claiming that the elephant-headed Lord Ganesha was only a myth.

BJP Thiruvananthapuram district vice-president R S Rajeev filed a complaint alleging that Kerala Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer had insulted Hindu beliefs under the garb of promoting rational thought

“Shamseer’s statements are a violation of the oath of office and against the Constitution of the country. It is brought to your notice that Shamseer does not enjoy any privilege or immunity of the office of the MLA or the Speaker when the Assembly is not in session,” Rajeev states in his complaint

The complaint also points out that Shamseer, who is an ardent believer in the Islamic faith, has made a conscious attempt to insult Hindu beliefs, create religious hatred, and promote enmity between followers of different faiths

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to file  complaints against Speaker A N Shamseer in all the police stations in Kerala for his  statements against Hindu beliefs.VHP state general secretary V R Rajasekaran said  his organisation has decided to file complaints  against the Speaker  in all police stations of the state before July 30 accusing him of insulting Hindu faith and preaching in a manner that causes religious conflict

The VHP has also decided to  submit  memorandums to the President and the Governor  of Kerala demanding to remove Shamseer from the post of  the Speaker. BJP and VHP leaders alleged  that  Shamseer has earlier claimed that the Holy Quran is progressive and that  when compared to other religions, Islam provides better protection for women

BJP Kerala President, K Surendran, has come out strongly against the Speaker’s statements. He asked if Shamseer had the courage to criticize other religions like this. He demanded that the Speaker must apologize for insulting Hindus.

The BJP  said that the Speaker’s alleged remarks are in violation of his oath of office and are unconstitutional.BJP’s  IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya alleged that Speaker  Shamseer was exploiting his position to denigrate the Hindu faith and beliefs.  Malaviya asked whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will dissociate his party from such views or endorse it with his silence.

”Will Rahul Gandhi, a former MP from Kerala, disassociate the Congress from such Hindu hating views or endorse it with this silence?”  Malaviya asked in a  tweet.

Speaker Shamseer, who is also the CPI-M  MLA from Thalassery constituency,   made his  controversial remarks at the  ‘Vidya Jyothi’ programme held at a school at Kunnathunadu  in Ernakulam district last week.

During his speech at the event, Shamseer allegedly accused the Centre of trying to teach children Hindu myths instead of accomplishments in science and technology. He termed Hindu god ‘Ganesha’ and ‘Pushpaka vimana’ as myths which lack scientific facts

The speaker said that the Hindutva ideologues propagate that it was through plastic surgery that Lord Ganesh got his face and dismissed it as a myth.“They are promoting such myths in place of science,” said the Speaker.Shamseer also said that such concepts should be rejected as myths in the age of artificial intelligence. Superstitions of the Hindutva era will hold back progress,and these are mere myths in the era of artificial intelligence, he added.