Chennai, Nov. 20: Two months into the persecution over her alleged condonement of premarital sex, Tamil actor Kushboo has for the first time been defended by a high-profile politician.

Union finance minister P. Chidambaram chose a trip to Tamil Nadu to stress Kushboo’s right to have her own opinion on any subject, whether or not it offends others.

“In India one has got the right to speech and freedom,” the Congress leader told reporters last night at his constituency, Sivaganga.

The minister lambasted the violent protests against the actor, saying attempts to curtail or take away citizens’ “freedom of expression” could not be tolerated. Chidambaram, however, wouldn’t say whether he supported Kushboo’s stand on premarital sex ? he suggested this was irrelevant.

His remarks came at a time when the PMK is becoming increasingly isolated in its violent campaign against the actor.

The CPM, which has termed Kushboo’s views “unacceptable”, has still urged the PMK to give up its violent protests and stick to “democratic” norms of dissent.

Earlier, state CPI secretary D. Pandiyan had signalled the change of focus from premarital sex to democratic rights and norms by stressing that the Indian constitution guaranteed freedom of expression. The Congress, CPM and CPI are the PMK’s allies in the state’s DMK-led Opposition grouping, the Democratic Progressive Alliance.

There was more bad news for the PMK last night with its partner in the agitation, the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI), suddenly distancing itself from the hooliganism by denying its workers were behind it.

Party chief Thol Thirumavalavan claimed the protests were a “spontaneous reaction” by people hurt by Kushboo’s remarks, which seemed to cast a cloud on the chastity of Tamil women.

The DMK and Vaiko-led MDMK, another alliance partner, have refused to take sides so far, but an off-the-cuff remark by M. Karunanidhi sounded like a caution to the PMK. In an interview to a Tamil magazine, the DMK president said neither side should “cross limits”.

The Opposition parties are worried that the PMK’s show of intolerance could rebound on the alliance in the upcoming Assembly elections. Yet PMK leader S. Ramadoss kept up his stridency today. “Freedom of expression does not mean freedom to speak or write anything,” he declared in what seemed a pot shot at Chidambaram and Pandiyan.