Kamal Haasan, the founder of the Makkal Needhi Maiam party, spoke at a college function in Chennai and asked students to choose the right government, and use their votes wisely. He also spoke about the recent controversy over a series of cartoons that were critical of the government and right-wing, hindutva terrorism.
Kamal Haasan was asked to comment on the cartoons that a group of students from Loyola college exhibited in the campus. The cartoons were critical of the government and the RSS, and asked for justice for the Kathua rape victim, and those who died due to rising hate crime against muslims. As a result, the college and students were heavily criticized by many.
Kamal said that he was not very familiar with the cartoons and therefore wouldn’t like to comment much, but said there are certain restrictions on speech, such as not speaking ill of other religions. He said, “Nobody has put any restrictions on us. It is only us who have put restrictions on ourselves. Don’t lose your rebellious spirit. At the same time, do not cross your borders because we are the ones who have constructed these lines. As long as you stick to civil limits, limits of decency, you can draw or say anything.”
The actor further said, “Such attitudes will change once you vote for the right government. That is why I insist you youngsters to give importance to your vote. Voting is an investment you do for yourself. Do not accept money for your vote. If you agree to do this and choose the right leader, the chances of a government that will create opportunities to earn 100 times more than the money you get for a single vote. This is the truth. Say each vote is Rs. 5000, a 100 times that is Rs. 500,000. A good, tolerably functioning government can create opportunities for each citizen to earn that money, it’s possible. It must be possible. Makkal Needhi Maiam can do this!” he declared.
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Meanwhile, when a student questioned why he didn’t enter the politics some 10 years ago, Kamal answered, “I have asked myself this question many times and I regret that I didn’t enter politics much earlier. May be I had doubts, questions over how people would react if I do.”
When asked what flaws he would like to reform in the country, he said, “I have been given just few hours to be here with you, but the list of flaws goes on and on. I don’t have enough time to talk about the flaws. There’s enough to go around…As of now, I would only say that the change should come from us by choosing the right government!”