Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for caution while addressing matters related to faith.
At a parliamentary committee meeting of the state-ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), Pinarayi warned his colleagues to be careful with the sensitive subject of faith. He told them their words could be misinterpreted.
The chief minister told his colleagues that the faithful make up a significant number in society. The LDF respects people of all faith, said Pinarayi before adding that one could find faithful among comrades too.
Pinarayi's instructions for his colleagues come at a time the CPM in Kerala is embroiled in a controversy triggered by Kerala Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer over a remark about Hindu lord Ganesha.
Shamseer had courted trouble with a recent speech at a school in Ernakulam. Attacking the Centre for trying to teach myths instead of science and technology, Shamseer said that 'Lord Ganesha' was 'a myth and the belief has 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 Nair Service Society (NSS) protested against Shamseer and demanded his apology.
Meanwhile, CPM state secretary MV Govindan, who supported Shamseer's remark, made a u-turn later on. Govindan, who had asked whether the concept of Ganapati wasn't a myth later criticised the media for misinterpreting his comment.
