Senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and Thrissur MLA P Balachandran courted controversy recently after he mocked the Ramayana in a post on Facebook. Though the MLA deleted the post after facing severe backlash, screenshots of the Facebook post were circulated widely on social media. 

Balachandran on Thursday, January 25, also posted an apology on Facebook regarding the issue. “I was only sharing an old story on my Facebook page. My intention was not to hurt anyone. I deleted the post immediately. I regret posting it,” the MLA said. 

BJP leaders and several right-wing supporters had shared the screenshots of the MLA’s post and said that he had ‘hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus’ and demanded his resignation. 

BJP’s Thrissur district president, KK Anish Kumar, had also lodged a complaint with the Thrissur city Police Commissioner and said that the MLA’s post was meant to create a religious divide in the society and would create law and order issues. 

"I am a practising Hindu and a devotee of Lord Ram. By denigrating Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman, Thrissur MLA P Balachandran has hurt my religious sentiments. This social media post is aimed at hurting religious sentiments and causing riots. I urge you to initiate action against the MLA for hurting religious sentiments and attempting to cause riots," Anish Kumar said in a social media post.

Workers of the BJP have also called for protest marches to the MLA’s residence to demand his resignation.