Kasaragod: The BJP has decided to launch strong protests against the LDF government's "persecution of Hindus", said the party's state president K Surendran. He said the decision was taken during an online meeting of the party's core committee.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan, who said Lord Ganesha is a myth, changed his stance fearing the wrath of Hindu devotees, said Surendran in a press conference in Kasaragod on Friday.
"But that is not enough," he said. Speaker A N Shamseer, who made such a statement in the first place, should apologise, the BJP leader said. "Shamseer was deliberately insulting Lord Ganesha," he said.
On Friday, CPM leader Govindan said he did not say Lord Ganesha was a myth, nor did he say Allah was a myth. "Everybody heard Govindan insulting Ganesha and praising Islam. He should apologise for hurting the Hindu community," Surendran said, and added that the government should be ready to initiate legal proceedings against Shamseer for what he said.
'Double standards of CPM'
On July 21, addressing an educational event in Kochi, Speaker Shamseer said, "Education should promote science because scientific discoveries provide solutions to various issues. However, they (the BJP) are trying to replace scientific facts with myths in textbooks," he said.
"According to them (the BJP), the first example of plastic surgery is Ganesha," Shamseer said, making an oblique reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in July 2011.
Surendran said those who have not heard the Prime Minister's speech were spreading false propaganda against him. "He was only quoting Puranas. BJP members know to differentiate between science and religion," he said.
He said religion has not replaced science in the syllabus anywhere in India. "Then how did the Speaker get such information," Surendran said.
If Hindu religion is a myth, why are CPM leaders taking control of the governance of temples, he asked. "If reason is the standard, then it should be applied to all religions. Such comments should not be made against only one section," the BJP state president said.
CPM leader M A Baby lashed out at the BJP during the controversy triggered by Nupur Sharma's statement, even though the BJP expelled her, said Surendran. "But now M A Baby has come to the defence of Shamseer saying he is propagating science," he said. "This is called double standards," he said.
He said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was yet to respond to Shamseer's "blasphemous speech" even though the Assembly session was set to begin.
