CHENNAI: Amid backlashes in Karnataka against Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and actor Kamal Haasan's statement on Kannada language, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss backed the actor and urged him to avoid such controversies based on language.
"Protests are ongoing in Karnataka against actor Kamal Haasan, who said that the Kannada language was born out of Tamil. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also condemned Kamal Haasan. It is condemnable to create controversies as the world has accepted the antiquity of the Tamil language," Anbumani said in a statement.
He added that Tamil is older than ancient languages such as Greek, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Latin, Arabic and Mandarin.
"Researchers have already established that other Dravidian languages have originated from Tamil. A daughter cannot be older than the mother," he said.
Acknowledging that Kannada has its special qualities, Anbumani recalled that Tamil was granted classical language status in 2004 while Kannada and Telugu received the recognition in 2008.
"So, all the languages should be praised for their antiquity and literature. Also, controversies based on language should be avoided," he requested.
Speaking at a 'Thug Life' movie event in Chennai, a few days ago, Kamal Haasan said that the Kannada language originated from Tamil.