Hindu terror does exist, says Kamal Haasan

Chennai: Stoking a major political controversy, Tamil film icon Kamal Haasan on Thursday said Hindu terror does exist. He went on to stir the pot some more in the lead-up to his much vaunted political plunge by saying that right-wing groups are resorting to using their “muscle power” to silence their opponents, dumping their old method of engaging them in dialogue.

The comments made by Kamal in his weekly column in a Tamil magazine titled “You can no longer say there is no Hindu terror”, sent ripples across the political spectrum Thursday with the RSS and BJP demanding that he immediately withdraw his statement and make an unconditional apology.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy went a step ahead calling Kamal “morally bankrupt” and said his comments were without any substance. “If he has any evidence, he should give it to the NIA, but he has not done that. This kind of remark will badly hurt him in Tamil Nadu”, Swamy said.

Kamal’s controversial statement on “Hindu terror”, which he said was not a new phenomenon, comes two months after he declared his colour, was “certainly not saffron” after his meeting with Kerala chief minister Pinnarayi Vijayan. Incidentally, today’s comments also came in reply to a question posed to him by the Communist veteran in the same magazine on what he thinks about the efforts by Hindutva forces to denigrate the Dravidian culture.

“In the past, Hindu right-wing groups would engage their opponents through dialogue instead of resorting to violence. Once these old tactics began to fail, they ditched the tactics and resorted to strength. They (Hindu right-wing groups) have now started wielding muscle power”, he wrote in the magazine.

“Right-wing groups can no more challenge anyone who talks about Hindu terrorists because it is true that terror has spread into their camps as well. Such terror activities are not going to help them in any way. People no more believe in ‘Truth alone Triumphs’ but strength alone triumphs,” he said.

Political observer Gnani Sankaran says the statement by Kamal was his open declaration that he was not averse to criticising the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. “He was being blamed for long for not criticising the BJP. Now he has declared that he was in no way connected to the BJP. He has made it clear that he was not averse to criticising the BJP or making negative comments against the party”, Sankaran told Deccan Chronicle.
 
Kamal went on to conclude that Tamil Nadu will become an example for social justice once again. “For today, Kerala shows the way. Congratulations”, Kamal told Vijayan, in an obvious reference to the Kerala Government’s move to appoint non-Brahmins as priests in temples.

The sharpest reaction from the Sangh Parivar came from RSS ideologue Professor Rakesh Sinha who asked Kamal to apologise for “hurting Hindu civilisation” and defaming it.

“Is Kamal Haasan trying to revive denounced narrative of Hindu terror under influence of a terrorist outfit in TN and ally of PFI, Al Umma. Kamal Haasan must apologise for hurting Hindu civilisation, defaming it, trying to create provocation for his petty political ends”, Sinha wrote on Twitter.