A Supreme Court advocate has filed a complaint with President Droupadi Murmu against Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer over his alleged “anti-Hindu” remarks.

In his complaint, Advocate Koshi Jacob said that Kerala Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer’s statements against Lord Ganesha are a violation of the oath of office and are against the Constitution of the country.

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The complainant said that Shamseer is ineligible to continue in the post of the Speaker and hence should be removed forthwith from the position.

The complaint alleges that Shamseer’s statements have promoted enmity between different religious groups and meant to disrupt religious harmony. His statement on Lord Ganesha hurt the feelings of the believers, it further said.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Police have, on Wednesday, registered a case against Nair Service Society (NSS) state vice-president Sangeeth Kumar and against more than 1,000 identifiable people who participated in the protest-cum-prayer march (NamaJapa Yatra) held here on Tuesday. The march was organised by the NSS Thiruvananthapuramtaluk union against the speaker’s remarks that ‘Lord Ganesha is a myth’. Thousands of people, including women, participated in the procession. Local leaders of Congress and BJP also participated in the Namajapa yatra. The NSS observed faith protection day on Wednesday to demand an apology from Shamseer.

NSS vice-president M Sangeetkumar, the prime accused in the case, said the NSS will deal with the case legally.

BJP state president K Surendran has come out strongly against the filing of the case against the NSS workers, who participated in the Namajapayatra. The case against the NSS workers is a brazen move.It is part of the agenda to vilify a sect. He said a case should be filed against Speaker Shamseer for publicly insulting Hinduism. He said that the NSS is not alone in the protest against Shamseer’s “anti-Hindu” remarks.

Meanwhile, senior leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) met Nair Service Society (NSS) general secretary G Sukumaran Nair at the NSS headquarters in Perunna on Thursday. Sources said senior RSS pracharak S Sethumadhavan, VHP state president Viji Thampi and SJR Kumar, coordinator of Ayyappa Samajam, held talks with the NSS leader.

In this connection, Speaker Shamseer reiterated that promoting science does not mean rejecting religion. Addressing a programme at Melattoor in Malappuram on Thursday, he said there was a concerted move to convert India into a theocratic state.

“The meaning of secularism is not denying religion, but that while the country does not have any religion, the people can have religion of their choice,” he said.

All people have right to believe and propagate their religion, he added

Kerala Assembly Speaker Shamseer, who is also the CPI-M MLA from Thalassery constituency, made the controversial remarks at the ‘Vidya Jyothi’ programme held at a school at Kunnathunadu in Ernakulam district some days back.

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.