Actor-politician Kamal Haasan will soon join the Rajya Sabha with the backing of ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of Tamil Nadu. One of the four seats of the DMK in the Rajya Sabha has been promised to Haasan's party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM).
MNM has already approved a resolution supporting Kamal Haasan's nomination to the Rajya Sabha or the Upper House of Parliament. Haasan entered politics in 2018 with a vision of providing an alternative to conventional governance.
On Tuesday, the DMK formally declared its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, with senior lawyer P Wilson, poet and writer Salma, and former minister SR Sivalingam as its other nominees.
DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a formal statement, clarified that the move to provide a seat to the MNM is a part of an election arrangement made prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Six Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu who are retiring on July 24, 2025, include PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss and MDMK chief Vaiko. The DMK is likely to win four of these seats based on the strength of the party and its allies in the State Assembly. The primary opposition AIADMK, with the help of allies like the BJP, can most likely take two seats.
Last week, Kamal Haasan courted controversy with his remarks regarding the Kannada language during the promotion of his upcoming film, Thug Life, in Chennai. He claimed that "Kannada was born out of Tamil," a statement that stirred politicians and the masses in Karnataka.
According to NDTV, Haasan started his speech with the Tamil words "Uyire Urave Tamizhe," which translate to "my life and my family." He later referred to Kannada actor Shivarajkumar being present at the meet, saying, "This is my family. That's why he (Shivarajkumar) is here. That's why I started my speech with life, relationship, and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included."
The statement drew immediate backlash in Karnataka. BJP state president Vijayendra Yediyurappa condemned Haasan’s remarks as “uncultured,” accusing him of “disrespecting” and “hurting the self-respect of 6.5 crore Kannadigas” in an attempt to “glorify his own mother tongue.” Yediyurappa has called for an official apology from the actor.
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