Chennai: Hitting the campaign trail after a lull of two days, Makkal Needhi Maiam President Kamal Haasan on Wednesday clarified his earlier remarks on Nathuram Godse, while also blaming the media for taking his comments out of context. The actor-turned-politician was campaigning at Thoppur for his party’s Aravakurichi assembly bye-poll candidate. Addressing crowds from atop his campaign vehicle, Haasan said, “People are getting angry for what I said at Aravakurichi. What I have said is the historical truth. I am not trying to pick a fight with anybody”.
Lashing out at the media he said, “Without listening fully to whatever I had spoken, they have used one particular portion and used it against me. I said it only once, but the media picked the wrong portion and cut its head and tail so that it can be twisted in any manner, and they played it hundreds of times. Whatever IPC sections they have booked me on, the media is equally responsible.”
Reiterating his party’s principles he said, that the party was called Makkal Needhi Maiam (People’s centre for justice) as everybody should get justice and be able to lead a peaceful life irrespective of caste, creed and religion. He also said that whenever the people have faced injustice he was one among the leaders who had stood up and raised their voice.
Referring to his comments which were perceived to have hurt the sentiments of Hindu believers, he said, “They accuse me of hurting Hindus, but back at my home all of them are Hindus. Let alone my case, but my daughter is praying to god. My brother-in-law and their family pray to god, I will not speak in a manner that angers or hurts them.”
While he clarified that his comments were taken out of context, Haasan stood his ground on the Godse remark saying, “If a historical truth is spoken and it wounds people, we should heal that wound. That’s why we are here, being together and co-existing, is the way ahead.”
Elaborating on his comments on co-existence over tolerance, Kamal said other religions should not be tolerated but should be wholly accepted. Taking an analogy he said, “We can tolerate a headache, but we should wholly accept our brothers”.
Clearing the air over the allegations of minority appeasement, the debutant politician said, minorities also come under the population and they are my people, irrespective of the god that they worship. Whoever I go the people are the deity for me, he added.
Bureau Report
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