Actor-politician Kamal Haasan has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha as part of an electoral agreement between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM). The DMK has allocated one of its four Rajya Sabha seats to MNM, fulfilling its promise after the party backed the DMK-led INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections without contesting.
MNM leader Murali Appas confirmed the nomination, stating, “We have passed a resolution to elect Kamal Haasan as a Rajya Sabha member from Makkal Needhi Maiam.”
Alongside Haasan, the DMK has named Salma, Advocate P Wilson, and SR Sivalingam as its official candidates for the June 19 Rajya Sabha elections. With a strong legislative majority—158 MLAs in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly—the DMK-led alliance is comfortably positioned to secure all four seats.
Haasan, who launched MNM in 2018, had previously contested the 2021 State Assembly elections where his party secured 2.62% of the vote share. Though MNM did not field any candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, it actively campaigned for the DMK alliance.
However, Haasan’s nomination comes amid controversy over his recent remarks claiming that “Kannada has its roots in Tamil.” The comment drew sharp criticism, especially from BJP Karnataka State President Vijayendra Yediyurappa, who accused Haasan of insulting the Kannada language and its speakers.
In a statement on social media, Yediyurappa said, “Kamal Haasan, who has acted in many Indian languages including Kannada, has insulted the language by asserting Tamil’s superiority and dragging in actor Shivarajkumar. This shows arrogance and disrespect.” He further demanded an unconditional apology, stating that Kannada has a rich and independent history spanning centuries.
As Kamal Haasan prepares to enter the Upper House of Parliament, the incident has sparked a fresh debate on linguistic sensitivities and regional pride, underscoring the challenges faced by national figures navigating India’s diverse cultural landscape.
