CHENNAI: Strongly defending actor Kamal Haasan who has been under fire from AIADMK ministers, DMK working president MK Stalin challenged the State government to sue him for levelling corruption charges even against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy.
Talking to reporters after casting his vote in the Presidential polls on Monday, he asked, “I have been levelling charges (against the government) continuously. Will they show courage, as much as in targeting Kamal Haasan, to prosecute us? “If they file a case, we are prepared to face it in the court.”
The Leader of Opposition noted that he had been levelling corruption charges against Vijaya Bhasker (Health Minister), the CM, and the (then) Police Commissioner, quoting evidences both in the legislature and public forum.
Terming the intimidating talks about registering cases against the actor undemocratic, he said Kamal Haasan expressed his views, given that people having voting rights had the privilege to criticise a government.
OPS raps ministers
Flaying the ministers for targeting the actor, former Chief Minister and leader AIADMK-PTA O Panneerselvam asked them to respond to the charges. “It is better to respond to the criticism made by him instead of threatening,” he told reporters at the Secretariat. Panneerselvam added that everyone has got the right to criticise in a democracy.
Left parties pitch in Expressing support to the embattled film-maker, CPM state secretary G Ramakrishnan asked the ministers to stop threatening him.“They must immediately give up threatening Kamal Haasan for his remarks of corruption against the government,” he urged in a statement.Similarly, R Mutharasan, CPI secretary, demanded that the AIADMK ministers stop targeting the actor by respecting the fact that the citizens have the freedom of expression.