The AIADMK should not stoop so low

Personal attacks against Kamal Haasan will boost the Right-wing forces in TN

The running feud between a reel life matinee idol and real life politicians just got murkier. Actor Kamal Haasan recently invited the ire of the AIADMK after he accused the government of corruption. On Sunday, a senior minister of the ruling party made a number of petty remarks about his personal life and acting calibre. This is about as low as it can get.

Mr Haasan is not the first big actor to comment on the need to cleanse governance in Tamil Nadu. Earlier, mega star Rajinikanth had also made similar remarks. But Mr Haasan and the AIADMK have a history. He was vocal against the uniform imposition of 28% entertainment tax under the GST (Goods and Services Tax) on Tamil films in the same slab as Hollywood and Hindi films. Before that, he had criticised the government’s inept handling of the 2015 floods in Chennai. His arguments can be countered through facts, figures and logic, not by this sort of gutter politics.

The latest provocation came at a press conference last week in which Mr Haasan proclaimed that corruption was pervasive in “all departments” of the AIADMK-led government. A few days before this, the Hindu Makkal Katchi had demanded that Mr Haasan be arrested for hosting Bigg Boss Tamil, a show that was “against Tamil culture.” Now, by saying that Mr Haasan is a third-rate actor and commenting on his personal relationship, prison and law affairs minister CV Shanmugam has crossed a line. Taking potshots at an actor fans revere as Ulaganayagan (world hero) is playing into the hands of political formations which want to use the opportunity to make inroads into the region. A Right-wing fringe group like Hindu Makkal Katchi can’t be the arbiter of what comprises Tamil culture. It is ironic this mud-slinging is happening in a state known to be the erstwhile cradle of rationalism and scientific temper. The last shot in the battle hasn’t been heard yet.