CHENNAI: The ongoing Rajya Sabha session at the Parliament has ignited a war of words between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and DMK member Kamal Haasan.

The controversy erupted after Sitharaman allegedly made a remark describing Tamil as a language inept for anything other than “begging”. In a recent address in the Lok Sabha, she reportedly quoted a scholar who had learnt Tamil, saying, “Learning Tamil has not helped in anything other than begging. It would have been better if the money had been used for something worthwhile instead of learning this language.” The comment was made a year ago in the parliament.

In an indirect dig at her comment, Makkal Needhi Maiam chief and Rajya Sabha member Kamal Haasan, in his maiden speech on Wednesday (February 5), said that Tamil in its glory can never be used for begging or stealing. "One can use English and Hindi to beg. Yes, Tamil will not help beg or steal. A Tamilian will not beg, nor will they accept your mercy. As a Tamilan, I will not sell my votes or my nation," he said.