Tamil Nadu Divided Over Kamal Haasan's Remark: BJP Questions Kannada Claim, DMK Defends

Tamil Nadu BJP has slammed Kamal Haasan over his 'Kannada born out of Tamil' remarks while the DMK has come to his support.

TN BJP's Reaction

Speaking to reporters, Tamil Nadu BJP vice president Narayanan Thirupathy said, "Kamal Haasan always tries to act very smart... You should not belittle any language to praise your own language... From where did Kamal Haasan learned that Kannada is born from Tamil?.. A celebrity like him should be more responsible because of his societal stature. He should tell where he learned all this from. Is there any document that says this?... He can not try to escape from what he said."

He then said that Kamal Haasan owes an explanation for his statement about Kannada language originating from Tamil.

Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagenthiran stated, "If we research whether Kannada originated from the Tamil language, there will be differences of opinion, but ultimately, all languages are ours."

DMK's Reaction

However, the DMK has come to Kamal's rescue and blamed the BJP for creating unnecessary issues. DMK Spokesperson TKS Elangovan said, "When the BJP enters into any issue, they will talk all nonsense...Kamal Haasan might have read and quoted some historical facts. It is not his finding. This does not mean that he is insulting Kannada...It is not Kamal Haasan's view...BJP's role is to create trouble among people. They want to divide people, break people. BJP is not a party for the sake of the people. Nobody is against Kannada. There are many people living in Tamil Nadu who speak Kannada, and we respect them..."

On actor Kamal Haasan's reported statement about Kannada language originating from Tamil, Karnataka Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad says, "What kind of a debate is this?... Kannada and Tamil are ancient languages and part of our country's foundation. Is this debate necessary at a time when all of us have to be united? I did not expect Kamal Haasan to make such a statement. It is unfortunate."

The Controversy

Speaking at a promotional event of Thug Life, Kamal Haasan started off his speech with the phrase "Uyire Urave Tamizhe", meaning "my life and my family is Tamil language". Thanking Shivaraj Kumar, he stated, "This is my family in that place. That's why he (Shivarajkumar) has come here. That's why I began my speech saying life, relationship and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included (part of it)."

The controversy comes on a day when Kamal Haasan is fielded as a candidate to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu with the support of the DMK.