Sivakumar rubbishes rumours against his family and religion

Of late, there have been several rumours around the family of actor Sivakumar, including that of his sons, actors Suriya and Karthi, especially regarding their religion. Prominent among those is the rumour that the family has converted to Islam.
What's strange is that there is no proof to these rumours, and some say that they are being spread by those irked by a few statements made by the Sivakumar family on policies like NEET.
Seeking to out a full stop to such baseless rumours, Sivakumar has released a statement (and a video), clarifying that he is a theist and a devotee of Lord Karthikeya. "“There are millions and millions of people in our country who staunchly believe and pray to a God with varied names like Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, Lord Karthikeya, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswathi, Goddess Kamatchi, Goddess Meenatchi. Also, there are people who believe and pray to Lord Jesus and Allah! Mahatma Gandhi is the one who had stated that “Am I an atheist? There is neither a form for God nor can God be defined with a specific gender! God is someone who has to be felt from within! It’s not about debating.” But it is mentioned in history that he was the one who was calling out God by stating “Hey Ram!” while he passed away. Then, it indicates that he was praying Lord Rama! I am theist! My father was a staunch believer of Lord Karthikeya! Every Kirthigai, my father used to do fasting and travel to Pazhani hills! He returns only after he completes singing the memorized song of Thirupughazh and prays to God. I am also a devotee of Lord Karthikeya! I am having a photo of Lord Karthikeya and praying to him every day since I was five years old. Even now, we have pictures of different gods in the Puja room in our house. Ramayana and Mahabharatha are the ones which bring pride to India. I have given the speech along with songs by narrating those grand epics in front of almost 5,000 people. You can still watch the narration on YouTube even now. True devotion is something that is actually called when ‘we express the love to others, treating everyone equally and helping those who are poor or in need.’ Whoever does this properly is the one who can be called a ‘devotee’! Great piety! Every religion speaks such fact predominantly!” (sic) the actor said in the statement.