The DMK has given one Rajya Sabha seat to Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM). As a result, MNM founder Kamal Haasan has been chosen as the party’s candidate for the Upper House.

MNM leader Murali Appas confirmed the news. He said, “We have passed a resolution to elect Kamal Haasan as a Rajya Sabha member from Makkal Needhi Maiyam party.”

DMK Announces Three More Candidates

Apart from MNM’s nomination, the DMK-led alliance named three other candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election on June 19. According to a statement from the DMK, the candidates are:

• Salma (poet and writer)

• Advocate P Wilson

• SR Sivalingam

Strong Numbers in Assembly Favor INDIA Bloc

In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, a candidate needs at least 34 votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. The DMK-led INDIA bloc holds 158 MLAs (DMK: 133, Congress: 17, VCK: 4, CPI: 2, CPM: 2). Therefore, the alliance is expected to win four seats comfortably.

DMK Rewards MNM for Support

Kamal Haasan launched Makkal Needhi Maiyam in 2018 during a public event in Madurai. Although MNM did not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party campaigned for the DMK-led INDIA alliance in Tamil Nadu. In return, the DMK had promised MNM a Rajya Sabha seat. Earlier, MNM secured 2.62% of the vote share in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Kamal Haasan Faces Backlash Over Language Remark

Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan is facing criticism for saying that “Kannada has its roots in Tamil.” This remark triggered strong reactions in Karnataka. BJP Karnataka State President Vijayendra Yediyurappa posted a harsh statement on X (formerly Twitter). He demanded an unconditional apology from Kamal Haasan. He said the actor showed arrogance and ingratitude toward the Kannada-speaking community, even though he had acted in Kannada films before.

He wrote, “One should love one’s mother tongue, but showing disrespect in its name is uncultured behaviour. Especially artists should have a culture of respecting every language. It is the height of arrogance that an actor, Kamal Haasan, who has acted in many Indian languages, including Kannada, has insulted Kannada by including actor Shivarajkumar in the glorification of his Tamil language.”

Yediyurappa also defended the heritage of Kannada. He called it a prominent and respected language globally. He added, “Kannada has been a prominent language in many parts of the world, including India, for centuries. The fact that Kannada is the most respected language in the world should be known to narrow-minded people like Kamal Haasan.”

He also accused Haasan of being ungrateful, saying the actor had forgotten the generosity of the Kannada people who once supported his work.