Kannada originated from Tamil: Kamal Haasan’s remarks irk Cong, BJP

Actor-turned-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan’s recent remark that Kannada originated from Tamil has sparked a massive political row with both the Congress-led Karnataka government and the Opposition BJP slamming the actor for undermining the state’s language and cultural identity.

Speaking at an event in Chennai, Haasan claimed that Kannada originated from Tamil. His remark didn’t go down well with the Karnataka leaders, who took strong exception to his statement.

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Reacting to his remark, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said that Kamal Haasan is not aware of the history of Kannada. “Kannada has a long-standing history. Poor Kamal Haasan, he is unaware of it,” he said.

Congress leader Rizwan Arshad criticized the Makkal Needhi Maiam chief for triggering an unnecessary language debate, stating that both Kannada and Tamil are ancient languages.

“What kind of a debate is this? Kannada and Tamil are ancient languages and part of our country’s foundation. Is this debate necessary at a time when all of us have to be united? I did not expect Kamal Haasan to make such a statement. It is unfortunate,” he said.

The Opposition BJP also slammed the actor-politician and demanded an explanation.

“Kamal Haasan always tries to act very smart. You should not belittle any language to praise your own language. From where did Kamal Haasan learn that Kannada is born from Tamil?” asked Tamil Nadu BJP vice president Narayanan Thirupathy.

“A celebrity like him should be more responsible because of his societal stature. He should tell where he learned all this from. Is there any document that says this? He can not try to escape from what he said. Kamal Haasan owes an explanation,” he added.