Democracy in dangerous ICU: Kamal Hassan

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) President and actor Kamal Hassan on Tuesday tore into the Centre for the crackdown on nation-wide students’ protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, saying democracy goes into “dangerous ICU” when voices and questions of youth are stifled.

“Every slap on students is a direct slap on the freedom of expression granted in the Constitution. They (government) want to instill fear among people to ensure that they are not questioned in the future. They beat up because they are scared that they don’t have answers for genuine questions,” Kamal Haasan told a press conference here.

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The actor, whose party moved the Supreme Court on Monday challenging the CAA, also tore into the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu calling its action of supporting the Bill in Parliament as an act of “treachery” towards Tamils and the nation.

Answering a question on why none of the top cinema stars haven’t yet supported the agitation against CAA, Kamal Haasan said the BJP has spread fear everywhere. “They have spread fear. It is not that they (actors) are not willing. Most voices are stifled. Take the case of my home state Tamil Nadu. What happened in Thoothukudi? Where was the dialogue?” the actor-politician asked.

Terming the action on protesters in New Delhi, Assam and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh as “state terrorism”, Kamal Haasan said it was unfortunate that the present crop of leaders who as students protested for their rights are now attempting at stifling voices of the youth.

“The young will have to be politically aware and be politicians. There is nothing wrong. Politics is omnipresent in their lives and it affects. They must understand it, they must question it, they must have cognizance of politics and they must ask these questions and (when) these questions are stifled, then democracy is in dangerous ICU,” the MNM chief said.

To a question, the actor-politician said the MNM would get into the field if NRC is implemented at the national level while handing out an assurance that the party was committed to fighting against the CAA legally.

“This is the beginning of the end of the anti-national forces. At a time when farmers are suffering and forced to commit suicide and the government is not able to ensure the security of women, it divides people in the name of religion…there is no honest answer to the question of what was the urgency in bringing CAA?” he asked.

On AIADMK MPs voting in the favour of the Bill in both houses of Parliament, Kamal said they are “obedient to their masters and you know who their masters are.”