A. N. Shamseer (born 24 May 1977) is an Indian politician who is the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly since 2022. He represents Thalassery State Assembly Constituency since 2016.[1][2] He was the CPI(M) nominee for Lok Sabha in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency in the 2014 Indian general election and is Kerala State Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)).[3] He was the former President of Kerala lobby of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).[4]
A. N. Shamseer | |
|---|---|
 An Indian politician. He is the 24th Speaker of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly. | |
| Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2 June 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Kodiyeri Balakrishnan |
| Constituency | Thalassery |
| 24th Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 12 September 2022 | |
| Deputy | Chittayam Gopakumar |
| Preceded by | M. B. Rajesh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 May 1977 Thalassery, Kerala, India |
| Political party | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| Spouse | Dr. P. M. Sahala |
| Children | Izaan Shamseer |
| Residence | Thalassery |
Speaker of Kerala Legislative Assembly
editHe is elected as the 24th Speaker [5] of Kerala Legislative Assembly on 12 September 2022 after defeating Mr. Anwar Sadath on a margin of 96-40.
Early life and education
editA. N. Shamseer was born to Shri Usman Komath and Smt. A. N. Sareena in Kodiyeri, Thalassery, Kannur.
Shamseer did his schooling at the Basel Evangelical Mission Parsi High School, Thalassery, and subsequently completed his pre-degree from Government Brennen College, Thalassery. He then graduated in Law (BA; LL.B) from the School of Legal Studies, Department of Law, Kannur University. He also holds master's degrees in Law (LL.M) and Anthropology from Kannur University Campus.[6]
Political career
editA. N. Shamseer entered into politics as a Students' Federation of India (SFI) activist during his school days. He was part of the leadership of SFI right from school to the all India level.[7] He was elected as College Union General Secretary, Govt. Brennen College, Thalassery in 1995.
Shamseer was the first chairman of the Kannur University Union in 1998. He was the president, S.F.I. Kannur District Committee in 2003. He was elected as the state secretary of SFI in 2008 and All India Joint Secretary of S.F.I. Later he moved onto DYFI and became Kannur District President in 2012. Shamseer contested General Election to Loksabha in April 2014 as the CPI(M) candidate from Vatakara (Lok Sabha constituency) in Kerala but lost with a margin of 3306 votes.[8] He was the president of the DYFI Kerala state committee between 2016 and 2018.[9]
| Year | Constituency | Closest Rival | Majority
(Votes) |
Won/Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Thalassery | A P Abdullakutty (INC) | 34117 | Won |
| 2021 | Thalassery | M. P. Aravindakshan (INC) | 36801 | Won |
| Year | Constituency | Closest Rival | Majority
(Votes) |
Won/ Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Vadakara | Mullappally Ramachandran (INC) | 3306 | Lost |
Controversies
edit- In April 2021, with the election code of conduct in place, there is a quick move to appoint his wife in violation of the rules. The complaint is that there is a move to appoint the MLA’s wife in Kannur University in violation of the rules. The interview is for the permanent post of Assistant Director at UGC HRD Centre.[10]
- In January 2021, a complaint has been raised against Dr PM Shahala, wife of AN Shamseer MLA, regarding an illegal attempt to appoint her in Calicut University. The Save University campaign has complained to the governor about this. According to the complaint, Dr P Kelu, who was Shahala's research guide, has been appointed to the interview board to interview her.[11]
- In August 2019, the Police investigation team probing the case of attempted murder of former CPM leader COT Nazeer, took a car used by MLA A N Shamseer into custody, following charges that it was in the Innova car the accused hatched the conspiracy to attack Nazeer.[12][13]
- In July 2018, the Kannur University has used caste rotation as an excuse to appoint A. N. Shamseer MLA's wife Sahala Shamseer, as assistant professor on contract basis in the department of pedagogical sciences as assistant professor.[14]
- In July 2017, A N Shamseer's photo being imprinted on calendars distributed in government schools in Thalassery, his constituency. The calendars also bear the caption "Nammude kunjungal thottadutha pothuvidhyalathilekku" (our kids to the near by public schools). The calendars were distributed as part of an educational project "Ellarum Schoolinu Oppam" led by the MLA in his constituency.[15][16]
- In 2012, Shamseer issued threats against the police in a speech while he was DYFI's Kannur district president. He was tried in 2016, and sentenced to three months in prison and a ₹2000 fine for criminal intimidation.[17]
- On 21 July 2023, A.N. Shamseer stated at a public function that the Indian federal government's education policy[18] was trying to teach mythology to children instead of achievements in science and technology. He further said that lies were being told that infertility treatment, aircraft and plastic surgery all existed in the ancient Vedic period.[19] "If one were to ask a question as to who invented the aircraft, my answer would be the Wright brothers which we learnt in school," he said. Shamseer said that efforts were being made to establish that the first aircraft was a pushpaka vimana. "The science is not ganapati and pushpaka vimana. Those are myths. The superstitions of the Hindutva era will push back progressive ideals." A controversy erupted following this when a leader of the Hindutva organization Yuva Morcha threatened to chop off Shamseer's hand.[20] P. Jayarajan, a leader of Shamsheer's party the CPI(M), responded that if Yuva Morcha raised its hand against Shamsheer, its place would be in a mortuary.[21] Other Hindutva organizations like the RSS, VHP, Hindu Aikyavedi and BJP claimed that Shamseer had insulted Hinduism by suggesting that Ganapati was a myth.[22]
Activities
editSpecial Interests: Reading
Part Time Recreations: Cricket
References
edit- ^ "Members - Kerala Legislature". www.niyamasabha.org. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "Members - Kerala Legislature". www.niyamasabha.org. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "സംസ്ഥാന കമ്മിറ്റി". www.cpimkerala.org. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "DYFI changing with the times". 13 November 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "AN Shamseer elected as Kerala Assembly Speaker". Onmanorama. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Niyamasabha Profile" (PDF). niyamasabha.org. Niyamasabha Kerala. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "SFI office-bearers elected at meet". The Hindu. 13 November 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2019.[dead link]
- ^ "Candidates for the 2014 parliament elections".
- ^ "A N Shamsser elected new DYFI state president". 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "Move to appoint A N Shamseer's wife in violation of rules, post created by special order". Koumudi Online. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Attempt to illegally appoint AN Shamseer's wife in Calicut University". Kaumudi Online. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "MLA Shamseer's car taken into police custody". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "MLA Shamseer's car may be seized". The Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "The controversy over Kannur university posting for CPI(M) MLA's wife". The News Minute.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Another week, another Shamseer controversy". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "സ്കൂളുകളില് വിതരണം ചെയ്ത കലണ്ടറുകളില് രാഷ്ട്രപിതാവിന് പകരം സിപിഎം എംഎല്എയുടെ മുഖം; എല്ലാ ക്ലാസുകളിലും തൂക്കണമെന്ന് ഉത്തരവ്". www.infomagic.com. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "CPM MLA gets 3 months in jail". Times Of India. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ Jaswal, Srishti. "What India's right-wing gov't is erasing from school textbooks". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ Sharma, Kritika (9 January 2019). "Vedic plastic surgery to test-tube Karna — non-science claims flowed from Modi downwards". ThePrint. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Yuva Morcha targets Speaker Shamseer with 'communal' remarks". OnManorama. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Kerala CPM leader's 'mortuary threat' to Yuva Morcha triggers major controversy". deccanchronicle.
- ^ "No need for Speaker Shamseer to apologise, says CPM". OnManorama. Retrieved 5 August 2023.