Actor Kamal Haasan, who has been hinting at entering politics, has hit out at what he calls Hindu extremism, claiming that right-wing groups have taken to violence because their earlier “strategy” has stopped working.
Haasan took no names in his column in the latest issue of Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan when he alleged that right-wing outfits had “changed course”.
“Earlier such Hindu right-wingers, without indulging in violence against those belonging to other religions, made the latter indulge in violence through their arguments and counter arguments,” he said. However, since “this old conspiracy” had begun to fail, the groups re indulging in violence, he wrote. “Extremism is in no way a (mark of) success or growth for those who call themselves Hindus,” wrote the Tamil film icon.
“The day is not far when Tamil Nadu will again be a model for social reformation,” he said, adding: “Kerala is such a model and my greetings (to you) for that.”
Reacting to Haasan’s statement, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao compared him to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed.
“Haasan also has a close tie with the LDF in Kerala and completely closes his eyes to the kind of violence and red terror that has been perpetrated there. Therefore, he is looking at the issue from a very narrow perspective,” Rao said.
“The people of Tamil Nadu will reject this type of cheap politics which Kamal Hassan is also trying to play,” he added.