North India Statesman
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Veteran actor and Makkal Nidhi Maiam (MNM) party president Kamal Haasan has created a new controversy with his statement on Kannada language. He had said that Kannada is a language that has come out of Tamil. His statement is being condemned in Karnataka. Apologies are being demanded. However, Kamal Haasan stands on his statement and refuses to apologize.
“Whatever I said, he said with love and on his knowledge. Many historians have taught me the history of languages. There was no intention of insulting me. The subject of the origin of languages is very complex and it should be discussed only by experts.” Policians are not eligible to talk about languages. They do not have the necessary qualifications and I am also involved in it. He also said, “Let us leave this subject to historians, archaeologists and linguists.”
Referring to the political tradition of Tamil Nadu, Hasan said that Tamil Nadu is a state where people of diverse background have become the Chief Minister. Menon, Reddy, Tamil and Kannada Iyengar have also become Chief Ministers in Tamil Nadu. This reflects the inclusion of our state.
Meanwhile, Congress and BJP leaders as well as some Kannada organizations in Karnataka have strongly condemned Hasan’s statement. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah responded to Hasan, saying, “Kannada language is a great historical heritage. It is unfortunate that Kamal Haasan is not aware of it.”
BJP leader R. Ashok has criticized Hasan and described him as a “mentally ill” person. While BJP’s state president B.Y. Vijayendra wrote in a post on ‘X’, “It is a rude behavior to insult another language. Especially artists should respect all languages. Kamal Haasan, who has acted in various languages, said that Kannada actor Shivrajkumar has said that he insulted Kannada language, praising Tamil language, which is his limit of ego.”
Meanwhile, the controversy from Kamal Haasan’s statement has given a new life to the discussion of linguistic identity in South India.
