Hindu terror exists; right-wing groups now prefer violence over debate: Kamal Haasan

Chennai: Actor Kamal Haasan, who has been lately making headlines over his expected entry into politics, took on the right-wing groups on Thursday, saying that these outfits cannot deny the existence of “Hindu terror”.

“The Hindus cannot challenge others to show extremists among them since extremism has spread to that extent even among the Hindus,” Haasan wrote in a weekly column, titled ‘One cannot say there is no Hindu terror anymore’, in Tamil magazine ‘Ananda Vikatan’.

“In the past the Hindu right used to engage only in intellectual debates with the other religious groups. Once this approach started failing they have resorted to muscle power. They too started indulging in violence,” he wrote.

Haasan’s column was in response to a question by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The Kerala chief minister had asked the actor to express his view on “Hindutva forces” and its attempt to “dilute Tamil culture”.

BJP leadrer Subramanian Swamy responded to Haasan’s claim of ‘Hindu terror’ and called him a “morally corrupt person”.

“If he has such an inclination, he should report it to the authorities. There is no Hindu terrorist organisation. Kamal Haasan is a morally corrupt person, he can do anything at any time; he cannot be taken seriously. The NIA should visit him and ask him if he has any proof,” Swamy told Times Now.

Haasan, who once commended the Centre’s move to demonetise Rs 1,000 and old 500 notes, had later, in a column, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept that his move was wrong.

The film star is planning to launch his own political party. He recently asked his fans to be prepared for a “big announcement” on November 7, his birthday.