Thiruvananthapuram | The Nair Service Society (NSS), an influential organisation of Kerala's forward Nair community, on Tuesday urged its members to observe August 2 as 'Save the Faith Day' as a mark of protest against state Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer's recent remarks against a Hindu deity.
A day after the state's ruling CPI(M) rejected the outfit's demand for action against Shamseer, NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair sent a letter to the organisation's taluk union presidents, directing the community members to worship at nearby Lord Ganesha temples.
He termed as painful the Speaker's alleged remarks that the deity (Lord Ganesha) was a myth and the belief had no scientific basis.
Nair said though the organisation had urged the Speaker to withdraw the remarks or the government to take action in this regard, the concerned persons had trivialised the matter.
As part of the organisation's strong protest, it has been decided to observe August 2 as 'Save the Faith Day', Nair said in the letter.
"On the day, all the members of the NSS and the faithful should visit their nearby Lord Ganesha temples and perform rituals. Prayers can also be offered to seek blessings to protect our faith," he said.
He, however, cautioned the members not to indulge in any provocative or communal actions in this connection.
On Monday, the NSS had condemned the alleged controversial remarks of Shamseer and demanded his resignation.
In a statement, Nair had said the Speaker's remarks were not acceptable, regardless of the circumstances or context in which they were made.
Reacting to the NSS general secretary's statement, senior CPI(M) leader and party's Central committee member A K Balan said either Nair might have reacted without understanding what Shamseer had said or he might have become the mouthpiece of the Sangh parivar.
During an event organised at a school in Ernakulam district recently, Shamseer allegedly accused the Centre of trying to teach children Hindu myths instead of accomplishments in science and technology.
The BJP and outfits like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have already launched a campaign against Shamseer, saying they are aggrieved over the Speaker's remarks regarding Lord Ganesh and the mythical 'pushpaka vimanam'.
The ruling CPI(M) had on Saturday strongly condemned the campaign by the Sangh Parivar against Shamseer over his reportedly controversial remarks.
Misinterpreting myths and beliefs and portraying them as scientific thoughts would only lead to the backtracking the progress of society and checking the development of science, the CPI(M) had said in a statement here.
