Chennai: Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan on Monday opposed any attempts to "impose" Hindi saying unity in diversity was a promise made to the country decades back which "no Shah, Sultan or Samrat must renege on." "The unity in diversity is a promise that we made when we made India into a Republic. Now, no Shah, Sultan or Samrat must renege on that promise. We respect all languages, but our mother language will always be Tamil," he said in a video.

The "No Shah or Sultan or Samrat" remarks was an obvious reference to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's pitch for Hindi as the nation's common language, which drew sharp responses from many opposition leaders including DMK President MK Stalin and former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramiah. The DMK on Monday announced demonstrations across Tamil Nadu on September 20 against Shah's pitch for Hindi.