A criminal complaint was filed against Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief and actor Kamal Haasan in Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Tuesday for allegedly “hurting religious sentiments of Hindus by associating terrorism with Hindu religion in Tamil Nadu on May 12”.
In a controversial remark, while campaigning in the Aravakurichi assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, Haasan had said the country’s first extremist was a Hindu while referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse.
“I am not saying this because many Muslims are here. I’m saying this in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue. First terrorist in independent India is a Hindu – his name is Nathuram Godse,” Haasan said.
Haasan said that he is “seeking answers for that murder”, referring to Gandhi’s assassination in 1948.
Soon after, BJP leader in Tamil Nadu Tamilisai Soundararajan accused the actor-turned-politician of appeasing minorities.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday moved the Election Commission seeking a five-day ban on Haasan.
BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, who filed the complaint, said that Haasan’s statement was intended to outrage religious feelings of Hindus and also breached the Model Code of Conduct.
The remark also attracted a controversial response from Tamil Nadu Minister KT Rajenthra Bhalaji who said Haasan’s tongue should be cut off for making the statement.
“His tongue should be cut off..he has said (free India’s first extremist) was a Hindu. Extremism has no religion, neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian,” the State Minister for Milk and Dairy Development was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
Kamal Haasan’s party MNM has demanded the removal of the minister for the remark.
This is not the first time Haasan issued a ‘Hindu terror’ remark. In November 2017, he took potshots at what he termed as “Hindu extremism”, which drew condemnation from the BJP and Hindu outfits.