Kerala Speaker AN Shamseer's ‘anti-Hindu’ remarks spark protests: All you need to know about the row

Kerala Speaker AN Shamseer's alleged ‘anti-Hindu’ remarks made on July 21 have sparked protests across the state, leading to tensions between political parties and religious groups. The controversial statements made during a program at a school in Ernakulam have stirred up emotions, with both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha entering into a war of words.

Shamseer advocated for promoting science in the education sector over myths, at the programme he attended at a school in Ernakulam last month. In response to a question about the inventors of aeroplanes, he stated that for him, it was the Wright Brothers, but for Hindutva believers, the first aeroplane was a Pushpak Vimana, a flying chariot mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He further commented that Hindutva was trying to propagate myths, including the belief that the first plastic surgery was performed on the deity Ganesha, who is depicted with an elephant's face and a human body.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and right-wing organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) launched a campaign against Shamseer, expressing their discontent over his comments about Lord Ganesha and the mythical Pushpaka Vimana.