Freedom, democracy at stake, says Kamal Haasan

The freedom and democracy of the country is at stake, actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) leader Kamal Haasan has said.

In a scathing attack on the Centre and the newly passed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the actor said students had been made refugees in the process of bringing out a law to weed out refugees.

Addressing the media outside the Madras University campus where over 800 students are stuck for over 24 hours, he said the government had made refugees of students and failed to even provide food to them.

He said the students were ‘trapped’ inside and asked what steps the State government had taken to help them. On being pointed out that the media had been denied entry to the campus, he said he too was denied entry but was there in his capacity as a lifelong student to express solidarity with the students.

He also took a jibe at the ruling AIADMK, an ally of the ruling BJP at the Centre, for having supported the legislation. He said, “They are merely obeying their masters.”

MNM has filed a PIL against the Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it a national issue. The party will also be part of the protests organised by the DMK in Chennai against the Act.