Kamal Haasan offers Lok Ayukta in return for mandate

Kamal said that he sees his foray into politics as a responsibility he has undertaken. He expressed hope that he can work with a people as a unit to achieve the goals. 

In a statement that is divergent from what fellow actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth had made, he urged students to be aware of political developments. 

He said, “While education must be your top priority, you must all be aware that when you graduate the issues that will affect you the most are politics and corruption.  To survive in that situation, you must understand politics. I am not saying that all of you must become politicians, but you must endeavour to be aware of politics. This will deter dishonest politicians.” He said that he had been deterred from visiting schools and colleges since the start of his political journey as those in power fear that the students might become politically aware. 

Kamal said that his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam, has a culture that will not permit garlands and shawls and actively discourages people falling at leader’s feet at the meetings. He expressed gratitude that the organisers presented him books.Kamal then responded to questions from students. On a question about the NEET controversy, Kamal said, “The clarity that such young students have on this issue is what is sorely lacking with the Centre. The state must be able to decide what its children can study. My hope is that the power to make this decision must rest with the state government.” 

When asked about what his solution to the agrarian distress would be, Kamal said, “While there is no simple answer to this, we must begin with according famers the respect they deserve. One of the main ideologies I have espoused so far is that the village is the future of our country. This is a land that is predominantly agricultural. Farm lands must be protected and farmers must be paid a fair price for their produce. The first step of many should be to tackle issues like farmer suicides.” 

The MNM president also spoke about Dravidianism in response to a question on the possibility of uniting the southern states and the formation of Dravida Nadu. He said, “Dravidam cannot be eradicated, as some people claim they want to. The philosophy is not restricted to one or two political parties but is something that applies to the entire country.”