Aravakurichi(TN): Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan has stoked a possible controversy, saying free India’s first “terrorist was a Hindu,” referring to Nathuram Godse who killed Mahatma Gandhi.
Addressing an election campaign here last night, the actor-politician said he was one of those “proud Indians” who desires an India with equality and where the “three colours” in the tricolour, an obvious reference to different faiths, “remained intact.”
“I am not saying this because this is a Muslim-dominated area, but I am saying this before a statue of Gandhi. Free India’s first terrorist was a Hindu, his name is Nathuram Godse. There it (terrorism, apparently) starts,” he said.
Haasan said he had come here “seeking answers for that murder,” referring to Gandhi’s assassination in 1948.
“Good Indians desire for equality and want the three colours in the tricolour to remain intact. I am a good Indian, will proudly proclaim that,” he added.
Earlier too, Haasan had stoked a row, when in November 2017, he took potshots at what he termed as “Hindu extremism,” which drew condemnation from the BJP and Hindu outfits.
Aravakurichi is one of the four Assembly constituencies where bypolls are scheduled on May 19. MNM has fielded S Mohanraj from this segment.
Also read: 5 major challenges that Kamal Haasan faces after his political plunge
There is a difference between murderer and a terrorist. I suggest Mr.Hasan to go and check the dictionary for the same.
I have some trouble in understanding this…. dictionary meaning of a terrorist is “a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” I am not a student of history, but can some one tell me if Godse used unlawful violence and intimidated people (with violence – especially civilians) in pursuit of his political aims…We know his political ideology and his hatred for Gandhi. Yes, he was a killer, a murderer, an assassin… so were Lee Harvey Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, James Earl Ray? (to name a few). I wonder if these men should also be labelled as terrorists? Just saying…….
I read somewhere in the comments that Godse was a killer, hence a terrorist. To my mind, every terrorist is most likely a killer but every killer may not be a terrorist…. how about that chap who killed Jessica Lal ? or the one who killed Phoolan Devi? But Rajeev Gandhi’s killer was definitely a terrorist.
No doubt, Nathuram Godse is a terrorist with all descriptions. He killed a man, Gandhiji, who was in prayer. No doubt, Nathuram was a Hindu, trained under saffron parivar who notwithstanding have disowned him. But this disowning would not make him non-Hindu. This is a strong lesson for those who claim that Pragya could not be a terrorist since a Hindu terrorist cannot exist. The fact is that a terrorist can hail from any faith. Terrorist is a disgruntled person, his faith or religion does not matter. Because no religion endorses terrorism. Hence a terrorist, whichever religion he may profess, should be convicted and punished if he is proved of the misdeeds. Hence it is ridiculous for our leaders to shout from the roof top that there is no such thing as Hindu Terror. Perhaps there is no something called “Hindu Terror”. But there can certainly exist terror caused by a Hindu. Pragy is tried for that.
Is it not time to move on. We are probably the only country in the world still mired down with petty issues. We could be a fully developed nation with the citizens living the good life but we are still going on petty issues.
Also all Indians knows that Kamal Hassan is the first person to who lived in live in relation with many girls and practicing it in his dark side of life.
Well first of all they is no definition of terrorism according to UNITED NATIONS.
But there IS a dictionary definition of “terrorist” and Godse fulfills it!
Was Godse a terrorist or a criminal who committed a high profile murder?
MW says: “a person who uses unlawful violence in the pursuit of political aims”. Seeing that Godse was backed-up by an organization with a specific ideology, he definitely falls within the category of terrorist.
The LTTE, one of the most ruthless terrorist organisations the world has seen, were Hindus as well. So perhaps this rose tinted view of Hindus spending the day singing bhajans, drinking cow’s milk and being incapable of violence and brutality needs a reality check.
Of course there have elements in Hinduism who did violence too. But this eagerness of equating violence committed by Hindus with the terrorism unleashed by Muslims in our times is funny. Hindus and Godse didn’t kill for Islamic Caliphate and 72 virgins waiting in heaven. LTTE fought for Tamils’s rights and of course many Hindus were supporting it. But the ideology of LTTE was based on Marxim and not on Hinduism. So please show some sanity while comparing the two.
” the ideology of LTTE was based on Marxim” WHAAAAAAAAAAT???? where does THAT come from?
Look here in the ideology section
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam#Ideology
You may want to say thanks for enlightenment I gave you!