Actor Kamal Haasan stirred a row with his “Hindu terror” remark on Thursday. File Photo Actor Kamal Haasan stirred a row with his “Hindu terror” remark on Thursday. File Photo

Actor Kamal Haasan, who stirred a row with his “Hindu terror” remark, hit back at detractors on Saturday, saying those who cannot stand criticism now wanted to kill him. “If we question them, they call us anti-nationals and want us jailed. Now since there is no space in jails they want to shoot us and kill us,” IANS quoted Haasan as saying.

The actor’s latest outburst comes after Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha vice-president Ashok Sharma said people like Haasan should be shot dead. Earlier on Saturday, Sharma said these people accused the followers of Hinduism of Hindu terror only to “push their own biased communal agenda”. “There is no other way to handle people like Kamal Haasan but to either hang them or shoot them dead,” Sharma said.

Haasan, who is expected to make an announcement on his birthday on November 7 about his plans to join politics, penned a column for Ananda Vikatan magazine, in which he said, “In the past, Hindu right-wing groups would not indulge in violence, but hold a dialogue with opposite parties on their arguments. But this old tactic was defeated and they started using muscle power. They started indulging in violence.” He continued, “The right-wing cannot challenge anyone asking the question — show me one Hindu terrorist. Terror has spread into their camp as well.”

ALSO READ: If instilling fear in name of religion and culture is not terrorising, then what is, asks Prakash Raj

Even as Haasan’s views has come in for criticism from several BJP leaders and right-wing outfits, the Tollywood fraternity and Congress has supported his remarks. On Friday, noted multi-lingual actor Prakash Raj wondered if instilling fear in the name of religion, culture and morality was not terrorising, then what defined the term “terrorising”.

“If instilling fear in the name of religion..culture..morality is not terrorizing..then what is it . #justasking,” Raj tweeted with a post. “If abusing and manhandling young couples on the streets of my country in the name of morality is not terrorizing….If taking law into hands and lynching people on slightest doubt of cow slaughter is not terrorizing….If trolling with abuse, threat..to silence even a slightest voice of dissent is not terrorizing….then what is terrorizing.#justasking,” the actor said in his post.

Extending his support to Haasan, Karnataka Congress leader Dinesh Gundurao on Friday asserted Hindu terrorism was prevalent across the country. He said fundamentalism existed and we should confront it instead of turning our back to it. “Yes, there is (Hindu terror). This fundamentalism exists in our country, we should confront it and not run away,” Gundurao said.

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