Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan will soon make his entry into the Rajya Sabha, backed by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu. The DMK has decided to allocate one of its four Rajya Sabha seats to Haasan’s party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM).
The MNM has already passed a resolution confirming Haasan’s nomination to the Upper House of Parliament. The actor’s political journey began in 2018 with a vision of alternative governance.
The DMK formally announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday. The three candidates are – senior advocate P Wilson, poet and writer Salma, and former minister SR Sivalingam.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, also the president of the ruling DMK, in a party release said that the allocation of one seat to Haasan’s party is in keeping with an electoral pact with MNM ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
On July 24, 2025, six RS members from Tamil Nadu will retire and it includes PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss and MDMK top leader Vaiko. Out of the 6 seats, based on its strength and that of its allies in the State Assembly, DMK could easily win 4 seats and main opposition AIADMK could win 2 seats, with support from allies including the BJP.
Kamal Haasan stirs language row
The actor was in the news earlier this week for his remarks suggesting that “Kannada was born out of Tamil.” The remark, made while promoting his upcoming movie, Thug Life, in Chennai, has drawn strong criticism from political leaders and citizens in Karnataka.
As reported, Haasan began his speech with the Tamil phrase “Uyire Urave Tamizhe,” which translates to “my life and my family.” He then addressed the presence of Kannada actor Shivarajkumar at the event, stating: “This is my family. That’s why he (Shivarajkumar) is here. That’s why I began my speech with life, relationship, and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included.”
The statement was met with swift backlash in Karnataka. BJP state president Vijayendra Yediyurappa condemned the comments as “uncultured” and accused Haasan of “disrespecting” and “hurting the self-respect of 6.5 crore Kannadigas” in an attempt to “glorify his own mother tongue.” He also demanded an apology from the actor.
