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Tamil Nadu's 'cultural policing' criticised
Indo-Asian News Service

Chennai, Nov 13 (IANS) Karthi Chidambaram, son of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, and poetess Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK president M. Karunanidhi, Sunday lambasted the "cultural policing" going on in Tamil Nadu and supported actress Khushboo over her recent utterances on pre-marital sex.

Terming the "cultural policing" as being "on the brink of fascism", Kanimozhi said: "In recent days, some people in Tamil Nadu are trying to control art, creative literature and social thoughts. This raises concerns and apprehensions." 

The two were speaking to reporters at the launch of their forum 'Karuthu' - a forum for free thought and democratic views - by noted Tamil writer Sujatha.

Karthi Chidambaram began by saying, "It is merely a coincidence that our forum is being launched when certain events are happening in Tamil Nadu which have great reverberations."

Chidambaram, while asserting that Khushboo had the right to say what she wanted to, said, "The opponents too have the right to differ from her view point."

Kanimozhi lambasted the cultural policing that the PMK has been imposing on even senior stars like Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan.

Hitting out against some Tamil protection groups, Kanimozhi warned: "We are on the brink of fascism under which majority crushes the right of the minority."

Sujatha, speaking to IANS, said: "A forum like this has a great future. There are here (in Tamil Nadu) quite a lot of people who have very strong opinions but are afraid to speak out because of goondaism. These people (political activists) think that the entire Tamil Nadu agrees with what they dictate and are getting away with violence."

Khushboo has been at the receiving end from various political parties, including the Pattali Makkal Katchi and the Dalit Panthers of India, for telling a magazine that ''society should rid itself of expectations that brides should be virgins.'' Reacting to protests, the actress had told a Tamil daily: "What is the culture these people are talking about? How many men and women are there who have not had premarital sex?" 

Noticeably absent from the press meet was Tamil Nadu's most powerful media house, the Sun Television. The Karunanidhi family has recently dissociated itself from the Sun group, owned by the family of Murasoli Maran, the nephew of Karunanidhi.

While Khushboo has 25 defamation cases and a non-bailable warrant against her for airing her views, Suhasini Maniratnam, actress and wife of noted director Maniratnam, has faced flak from political parties and the artistes' association for supporting Khushboo.