Thiruma defends Kamal in Kannada row

VCK leader and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan came out in strong support of actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan over the recent Kannada–Tamil language controversy, stating that the actor had only spoken a historical truth. The controversy arose from Kamal’s comment at a promotional event for his film Thug Life, where he said “Kannada was born out of Tamil.” “This is a sensitive issue, but Kamal Haasan has spoken the historical truth. I believe there was nothing wrong in what he said,” Thirumavalavan remarked. He criticised attempts to politicise the matter for linguistic or ethnic gains, calling such efforts “meaningless.” In a related show of support, VCK general secretary and Villupuram MP D Ravikumar took to social media to back Kamal Haasan. He urged Congress leaders and other members of the INDIA bloc in Karnataka not to fall prey to right-wing campaigns targeting Haasan. Ravikumar noted that Kamal was reflecting the views of several linguistic scholars, not merely expressing a personal opinion. “This is a time for all Dravidian languages to unite against the supremacy of Sanskrit,” Ravikumar said, stressing the political and cultural need for solidarity. He cited Tamil scholar Manonmaniam Sundaranar, who in his poem on Tamil, wrote that Tamil gave birth to Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu. He also referred to a 2005 article by former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, where he explained that such lines were once part of the Tamil anthem but later removed to respect the sentiments of neighbouring states. Meanwhile, Thirumavalavan also addressed the Anna University sexual assault case. Responding to BJP’s continued questions around the identity of a person referred to as “Sir” in the case, Thiruma dismissed the allegations. “The court has given its verdict. Trying to politicise the issue now serves no purpose,” he said. Selvaperunthagai’s recent invitation to the DMDK to join the INDI