TAMIL NADU UNDER ARREST

For all that is right and wrong in the world, fair and unfair, true and false, there is one singular thing which is always unbiased. FACT. It is an established fact that the Al-qaeda is an Islamic organization, that most members (if not all) are Muslims. Now here is a point which is lost, NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS, MOST AL QAEDA MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN CAUGHT ARE MUSLIMS. It is a very important distinction that has been lost among the handful protesting Kamal Hassan's "Vishwaroopam". The movie has nothing to do with Muslims living in Tamil Nadu. The movie is based in AFGHANISTAN, for crying out lout.

Now, Tamil Nadu has been the most secular of states in India and there is absolutely no denying that. These radical fundamentalist parties which have shown their ugly side, have cropped up very recently. It may be the Puthiya Thamizhakam, Hindu Mahasabha, Shiv Sena or the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, it is extremely important to note that not one of these parties have improved the living conditions for people. These parties have become popular by just opposing anything that "hurts" their sentiments. And the Government has always entertained their inability to take any imagined offence by restricting the freedom of expression of the opponent party. May it be M.F.Hussain, Salman Rushdie or Kamal Hassan, justice has been denied to them and is an undeniable truth.

Article 19 (1.a) of the Constitution of India says “All citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression.” This means the protestors have all the right to protest the movie, as much right as Kamal Hassan has in making and releasing this movie. However Article 19 (1.b) of the Constitution says “All citizens shall have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms.” Throwing petrol bombs into theaters, tearing down screens, burning images of the artist, etc is in clear violation of the constitution and law. Has there been adequate action taken to quell these violent acts? No. If a Government is scared of riots, then it should prepare itself to suppress the riot, not suspend constitutional rights.

Now the TMMK. There have been so many “Kazhagams” of late in Tamil Nadu, that it is really difficult to keep track of what they stand for. This one is the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam. This party has not had a voice in the governance of the state till January 2013. A little investigative research (Wikipedia) would show that the TMMK has been an avid supporter of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which in turn is directly linked to Indian Mujahideen (remember 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts?) and Al-qaeda (Needs no introduction). The leaders of the TMMK themselves have been arrested in connection to the 1998 Coimbatore bombings. But the Tamil Nadu Government has given this extremist group recognition by backing its’ claims and taking the onus upon itself to go as far as obtaining a stay order on the High Court order to release the movie. So clearly the buck does not stop with the TMMK protests.

So is there a political underlining to this entire drama? DMK patriarch M.Karunanidhi latched on to the opportunity to blame his opponent, Chief Minister Ms.J.Jayalalithaa, saying that the latter is against Kamal Hassan because the veteran actor supported P.Chidambaram for Prime Minister, at a recent book release function. Other sources indicate that the TV rights for the movie went to another channel (Vijay TV) though the ADMK-supported channel bid for it. So that might have made the Chief Minister angry. Of course, all these are speculations; if there is any truth to these, then “Rajnikanth” save Tamil Nadu. But the very fact that the Tamil Nadu Government has ignored the orders of the Censor Board, High Court, The Constitution of India and the requests of the Central Govt and above all the People (who have come out in huge numbers) to lift the ban on the movie, indicates that either the Chief Minister is ready to go to any extent to play Vote-Bank politics or she is ready to cater to a group of minority radicals to prove that her state is secular.

Either way, this episode has managed to defame the moderate Muslim community of the state and has taken away secularism from Tamil Nadu, where once, the Pakistan team had a victory lap after their victory over India. All that remains now is Pseudo-secularism and a sinking feeling of injustice done to one of the greatest artistes of the state.