Mixed reactions are continuing to pour in two days after Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) Chief Kamal Haasan sparked a controversy by stating that Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse was Independent India’s first Hindu extremist.
Backing the actor-turned-politician, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi argued that the man who shot dead the father of the nation in 1948 needs to be called a terrorist. “The person who killed Mahatma Gandhi – who is known as the father of the nation – should we call him great or a demon? Should we call him a terrorist or an assassin? The person who shot Mahatma Gandhi, who is the conspirator and whose role has been proved as the conspirator by Kapur Commission. So, what do we call that person? Should we call him great or a low-life? We need to call him a terrorist. He is a terrorist,” said Owaisi.
BJP MLA from Telangana Raja Singh, who has stoked many a controversy in the past, was quick to hit out Kamal. Taking to Twitter, he said, “Hindu's was & never will be involved in any terrorist activities. Hindu's always Work for Dharma, Nation & well being of all. Time for #kamalhassan & other parties to stop make comments against Hindu's for political gains (sic).”
Hindu's was & never will be involved in any terrorist activities.
— Chowkidar Raja Singh (@TigerRajaSingh) May 13, 2019
Hindu's always Work for Dharma, Nation & well being of all.
Time for #kamalhassan & other parties to stop make comments against Hindu's for political gains.#HindusSoftTarget pic.twitter.com/BITEBqsaqy
Actor Vivek Oberoi, who played Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the biopic PM Narendra Modi and campaigned for the BJP recently, also weighed in on Kamal’s comments. Taking exception to the word Hindu, he said that terror has no religion.
Dear Kamal sir, you are a great artist. Just like art has no religion, terror has no religion either! You can say Ghodse was a terrorist, why would you specify ‘Hindu’ ? Is it because you were in a Muslim dominated area looking for votes? @ikamalhaasan https://t.co/Hu3zxJjYNb
— Vivek Anand Oberoi (@vivekoberoi) May 13, 2019
Swaraj India National President Yogendra Yadav wondered what was wrong in Kamal’s remarks, pointing out that Godse was Hindu after all.
PM asked in Wardha:"Is there a single instance in history when a Hindu committed an act of terror?"@ikamalhaasan has answered: Yes,his name is Nathuram Godse
— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) May 14, 2019
What's wrong here? Wasn't it what we now call terror? Was he not Hindu?
What's the fuss about? https://t.co/gEXaDc5fmA
Meanwhile, a criminal complaint was filed against Kamal Haasan by President of Hindu Sena Vishnu Gupta in a court in New Delhi under IPC sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).