Amid a controversy over Kerala Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamseer’s alleged remarks about Lord Ganesha, CPI(M) leader K.K. Shailaja has said he has not mentioned anything about beliefs or believers and cautioned that there are attempts to separate people.
Ms. Shailaja, also the State’s former Health Minister who was at the helm in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, also said on Friday that without evidence or proof, one cannot say something is science.
Hindu organisations, including the influential Nair Service Society (NSS), are protesting against Mr. Shamseer’s alleged recent remarks about Hindu deity Lord Ganesha during a recent speech in a school while criticising the education policy of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre.
When asked about the controversy over the Speaker’s remarks, Ms. Shailaja wondered what was the need for creating such a noise.
“What is the need to compel a person to believe things... we are not denying anything... some myths, some people are believing... what is the need for this kind of shouting,” she said at a briefing in the national capital.
Ms. Shailaja said the Speaker did not say anything about beliefs or believers. He only said there were so many myths like these things, she added.
“I think it is an intentional thing to separate people and to agitate the poor believers in our country,” she said.
“Some myths some people are believing.... there are so many types of gods in Hindu religion... Our Prime Minister said that Ganesha was an example of plastic surgery. We are not shouting...,” she said.
Referring to the controversy in the State few years ago with respect to allowing women in the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, Ms. Shailaja said, “We are not against Ayyappa or the beliefs,” and pointed out that there were efforts to spread misbeliefs and superstitions in the society.
On Friday, Kerala CPI(M) secretary M.V. Govindan said neither he nor Shamseer ever said that Lord Ganesha was a myth and criticised the “false campaign” unleashed by political opponents and a section of the media on the issue.
