NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted in the country, Kamal Haasan and founder president of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), on Wednesday, accused the ECI of undermining the right to vote of Indian citizens.
While making his maiden speech as a member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha, he said that the Commission, instead of enabling participation, was only checking people’s right to vote.
“I call it the spell check story of the living dead. We want to cast our vote, sir, and commissions are checking our right to vote. They are checking the spellings and addresses, and that too erroneously,” he said.
"My imminent concern is the forthcoming elections in Tamil Nadu", Hasaan added. He was replying to a motion of thanks on President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of Parliament.
Haasan said that spelling mistakes are a curse only for languages, and modern literature forgives these in favour of content, as does the internet, but the Election Commission obviously does not. EC doesn’t mean English Coaches. Bihar has become a land of the living dead. We don’t want this disease to spread across the country…ECI is surely facilitating the spread of this disease,” the MNM chief added.
He also lent support to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has stepped up her fight against SIR in the Supreme Court. “My Didi from West Bengal also lamented the same in the ECI office. She is already on the Supreme Court. We fear that there could be one crore living dead on paper in Tamil Nadu,” Haasan said, amid the thumping of Benches by Opposition members in the House.
Earlier, he said nobody conquers in democracy, and the juggernaut called democratic India will roll on.
“This democratic juggernaut will roll over differences, but should never roll over people. We will not allow it. Nobody is immortal. No government can or should aim for permanency. No government in the history of this world has achieved it yet, and none ever will. This government also falls under the universal political unwritten law,” Haasan said, urging all to grow up along with a growing progressive democracy.
The veteran actor also recounted his journey into cinema and then to the Upper House, besides an introduction to Tamil history in his speech.
“A child from Paramakudi (his birthplace in Tamil Nadu) was ushered into fame by cinema. That is when I was introduced to cinema and to my Tamil history. I confronted a confusing reality. A reality that did not reflect the promises made in our Constitution that India is a union of states,” he said.
Haasan said he was introduced to the Tamil language by his teachers, one of them being C. N. Annadurai (also known as Perarignar Anna).
“He taught us to confront any invasion on our language, our culture and our rights,” the MNM leader said, asking all to set right the present, 'where we live and die'.
