Hindu terror does exist, says Kamal Hassan, stirs row

CHENNAI: Stoking a major political controversy, Tamil film icon Kamal Hassan 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 on "Hindu terror" 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.   

The Hindu Makkal Katchi has demanded actor Kamal Haasan to tender an apology for remarking that Hindu extremism is alive and kicking. Taking a strong exception to the actor’s remark, Hindu Makkal Katchi president Arjun Sampath said, “Kamal Haasan must take back his words. Hindu terrorism does not exist in Tamil Nadu.” “Already Kamal tasted how Muslims reacted against his film Vishwaroopam. That time, he bent before Muslim and said he would leave Tamil Nadu,” Sampath said and added that Kamal has taken a new avatar. “After his Dasavatharam (film), he is taking 11th avatar - the Left wing avatar. In his leftist view, he says Hindu terrorism exists. But it is not so,” he said. BJP senior leader Dr. Subramanian Swamy responded to the actor’s claim of Hindu terror and called him a morally corrupt person. “The NIA must visit him to seek evidence (for Hindu terorrism),” he said.