Rajini wants Tamil children to call their parents Mummy, Daddy

Chennai, March 6 (IANS) Rajinikanth wants children to call their parents Mummy and Daddy and not Amma and Appa, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar on Tuesday.

After Tamil versus Hindi/Sanskrit, a Tamil versus English fight seems to be starting in Tamil Nadu, thanks to the stand taken by actors-turned politicians Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth.

Referring to Rajnikanth's speech at a college here on Monday where he asked students to speak in English, Jayakumar said the actor wants the children to call their parents Mummy and Daddy.

Rajinikanth's call to students to speak in English to do well in their career is in contrast to what fellow actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan urged the people in Madurai.

Launching his party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) in Madurai, Kamal said if people speak in Tamil, the language would continue to grow.

In the same breadth, he said if people feel shy of speaking in Tamil, then the language would face an immediate death.

Kamal spoke in Tamil without any mixture of English words in Madurai whereas Rajinikanth, who claimed to be a 'Pachai Tamizhan' or pure Tamilian, spoke 'Tanglish' -- mix of Tamil and English.

Rajinikanth urged the students to speak in English among themselves so that their language skill improves.

He said Tamils should move outside the state and the country and grow in their career if they knew English.

He added that after studying in Tamil medium till Class 12, students find it difficult to cope with their subjects in college as they are in English.