Comedian-Turned-Politician Karunas Detained With 40 Live Bullets In Chennai Airport, Released Later

Karunas, the founder of Mukkulathor Pulipadai, a political group representing the Thevar community, ran for the Tamil Nadu State Legislative Assembly from Thiruvadanai in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. He used the Two Leaves symbol of AIADMK and emerged victorious. During J Jayalalitha’s lifetime, he was a staunch supporter of AIADMK. However, following her death, he, like many others in AIADMK, shifted his allegiance to VK Sasikala, a close associate of J Jayalalitha, to maintain his position in AIADMK. While this move worked out for others, it backfired for Karunas. For instance, on 25 February 2017, an unknown individual hurled footwear at Karunas’ car while he was on his way to pay tribute to freedom fighter Muthuramalingam Thevar. This incident is believed to be linked to his support for AIADMK leader VK Sasikala.

On 23 September 2018, Karunas stirred up controversy by publicly criticizing AIADMK Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), claiming that the CM was intimidated by him. This incident, which occurred while he was still a member of AIADMK, led to a case being filed against him after his speech went viral on social media. During his address to members of Mukkulathor Puli Padai at Valluvar Kottam, Karunas challenged a police officer present there to remove his uniform and fight him. In the video, Karunas can also be heard encouraging his supporters to commit murder, but only after informing him and ensuring there is a valid reason for the act. He also advised his followers to reveal their identities if they intended to throw stones at opponents. Despite being a member of the Mukkulathors community, also known as Thevars, Karunas claimed his loyalty was with the Sasikala faction, even though many “disloyal” members of his community had joined the EPS faction.

Following these incidents, Karunas was ostracized within the AIADMK. He later aligned himself with the DMK, adopting their ideology, and extended his support to the DMK in 2021. As of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, he is supporting the I.N.D.I bloc.

Against Sanatana Dharama

In the midst of a debate sparked by Dravidian director Vetrimaaran’s assertion that Raja Raja Cholan was not a Hindu king, Karunas fervently endorsed and defended his viewpoint on the monarch’s religious affiliation.

Vetrimaaran expressed his concern, “Our symbols are being persistently taken away from us. The act of saffronising Valluvar or labelling Raja Raja Cholan as a Hindu King is a recurring phenomenon.”

Karunas, who backed Vetrimaaran’s stance on Hinduism, stated that the Tamil community would not tolerate identity misrepresentation. He argued that designating Raja Raja Chola as a Hindu king contradicts Tamil ethics. He questioned the existence of Hinduism during Raja Raja Chola’s reign and the origin of the term ‘India’, which he claimed was coined by the British for commercial purposes. He further stated that Hinduism was also a creation of the British, and hence, India is not a single nation but a union of multiple nations.

He pointed out that it’s natural for the Indian Union, home to diverse nationalities, to have various religions, embodying unity in diversity. Issues arise when one religion attempts to dominate and engulf everything else. He emphasized that during Raja Raja Chola’s time, there was no Hindu religion, but several religions like Saivism, Vaishnavism, and Ashivakam existed. He found it absurd to label or replace Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola as Hindu kings.

It’s worth noting that amidst this controversy, Karunas was appointed as an assistant director by Vetrimaaran for his film ‘Vaadi Vaasal’ just six months ago.

(With Inputs From The Hindu)