Controversial Kerala Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer has said that his political perspective is aligned with Palestine. Shamseer is a CPI(M) MLA representing the Thalassey constituency. Hitting out at the Israeli Army for fighting Hamas terrorists, he said that he has a ‘correct’ political side and stands with the ‘struggling’ Palestine.
While speaking at an event organised reportedly in memory of Indian Union Muslim League leader MKC Abu Haji in Kozhikode on 21st October, Shamseer openly extended support to Hamas. He termed the terrorist attack by Hamas as “resistance of the people who have been fighting for years”, and said that such resistance should not be described as terrorism.
The Kerala Speaker also reportedly said that Israel should not retaliate against the terrorist attack by Hamas. He said that Israel must pave the way for a permanent solution.
Shamseer used the Israel-Hamas war to attack the Modi government. He said that the Centre had changed the country’s stand on the Palestine issue in favour of Israel.
He said that from the time of Mahatma Gandhi, India was with Palestine but began extending support to Israel under the Modi government. The dramatic CPI(M) leader also termed Netanyahu and Modi as “elected dictators”.
He said, “Hamas attacks against Israel do not amount to terrorism. It should be described as resistance. Israel should not be retaliating on a tooth-for-tooth stand. Israel should seek to peacefully evolve sustainable solutions to the problems of the Palestinian people. India has always taken sides with Palestine. However, Narendra Modi has openly backed Israel this time. At a time when secularism is being challenged in the country, all those who believe in democracy should join forces for protecting the Constitution.”
The Kerala Speaker generally makes headlines with many such controversial remarks, most of which are made at the cost of religious sentiments of Hindus. In July this year, Shamseer told some students while delviering a speech that science should be promoted in the education sector instead of myth, and singled out Lord Ganesh as a ‘Myth’.