CHENNAI: After flirting at the margins with statements and cryptic comments on social media, award-winning filmmaker Kamal Haasan took an apparent step closer to the political field on Wednesday, asking his fans and general public to shoot off complaints about corruption under the present State government to the concerned ministers.
The exhortation came within a few hours after Chief Minister 'Edappadi' K Palaniswami said that Kamal did not know about politics, and added that he was ready to answer Kamal's charges if he made them after entering politics.
Palaniswami's was the latest in a series of attacks that the actor had to face from AIADMK leaders including ministers, ever since he began commenting on the political situation in Tamil Nadu - starting with the support he pledged to the jallikattu protesters at Marina beach and elsewhere.
"My younger brother [finance minister] D Jayakumar and [BJP national secretary] H Raja, who challenged me to enter politics, do not know that I have been politics for a long time. I became a politician the moment I raised my voice against Hindi imposition," said Kamal Haasan, pitching himself right at the heart of Dravidian politics.
"There are persons who received bribes openly but forgot to discharge their duties... Their intimidation that action would be taken against me for tax evasion evokes laughter and anger at the same time," he added.
Taking a step forward, Kamal asked his fans and general public to send complaints to ministers themselves, explaining their hardships due to corruption under the present regime.
“Let the ministers understand that the people are more honourable than them. People are not herds. Let you (ministers) have the honour to listen to the people's voice. Very soon, that voice will be heard clearly,” Kamal said in the two-page statement.
Unlike others who only pointed fingers elsewhere, he spoke out against corruption within the film industry, Kamal said. “This is my voice. If people with guts in film industry raise their voice, that alone would make the complaint box overflowing.”
Expressing confidence that at least a few lakh people would send their complaints to the ministers, he wondered whether all those complainants would be arrested or would the ministers respond to them. “There are no sufficient prisons in the southern India to imprison so many lakhs of persons,” he added sarcastically.
Referring to the demand that he should level charges with evidence, the actor said, "The entire media was blaring about the corrupt deeds.. Even after witnessing that, people ask about evidence.. This is characteristic of the obdurate," he added.