Pawan Kalyan, a prominent actor-turned-politician in India, made a controversial statement during a political address in 2018 where he suggested that "even Hindus can be terrorists." His comment came in the context of a broader conversation about religious extremism and how it can be politicized or exploited in India. The old video has gone viral after his statement on the 'Tirupati Laddu' controversy.
Kalyan's statement was not intended to generalize or label Hindus as terrorists, but to highlight how any group, regardless of religion, can be susceptible to extremist ideologies under certain conditions. He argued that radicalization and terrorism are not restricted to a single religion and can arise from different communities when there is a manipulation of religious sentiments for political or ideological gain.
His comments sought to challenge the narrow framing of terrorism as being associated exclusively with one faith, often islam, in public discourse.
However, the statement sparked significant backlash from certain sections of the public and political opponents, who accused him of undermining Hindu sentiments. pawan kalyan clarified later that his remarks were aimed at condemning all forms of extremism, and his intention was to advocate for harmony and prevent religious divisions from being exploited in political narratives.
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