Kamal Haasan raises SIR concerns in maiden Rajya Sabha speech

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, in his maiden Rajya Sabha speech on Wednesday (February 4), made an apparent reference to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying people only want to vote but are instead facing checks from commissions on their eligibility, spellings and addresses.

‘Concern over upcoming elections’

The MNM chief further stated that his imminent concern is the upcoming elections. “My imminent concern is the forthcoming elections. I wrote it down thinking only of the impending present. I call it the spell-checked story of the living dead,” he said.

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“We want to cast a vote, sir, and commissions are checking our right to vote. They are checking the spellings and addresses, and that too erroneously. We just want to cast our vote...,” added Haasan as quoted by ANI.

Hails C.N. Annadurai

Describing his maiden Rajta Sabha speech as a “moment of honour”, Haasan said that he was introduced to the Tamil language by his teachers, among whom was Tamil icon C.N. Annadurai, who taught him to “confront” any invasion against the Tamil language and culture.

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"I consider this moment an honour... I was introduced to my language by my Tamil teachers. One of them was a political leader, C.N. Annadurai... He taught us to confront any invasion on our language, our culture, and our rights,” added Haasan.

‘Have an opinion as a Tamilian’

Elaborating further, he said that one may say that, being a high school dropout, he was not qualified to speak on economics.

“Let it be so. Nevertheless. As an extramural student of whatever university you all hail from, I have an opinion as a Tamilian. MK Gandhi helped me write this speech without anger. Periyar helped me add logic. Anna helped me understand this building,” said Haasan.

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Haasan said that people from many walks of life find their way into the House to speak for those they represent, and that his own entry came through cinema.

He said films brought him recognition and introduced him to Tamil history, but also exposed him to a reality that often fell short of the Constitution’s promise of India as a union of states.

‘No govt in permanent’

Speaking about Parliament, Haasan said democracy may override differences but must never trample on people, asserting that this should not be allowed.

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He said no individual or government is immortal, and that no administration can claim permanence, noting that the current government is also bound by this unwritten political rule.

He cautioned that younger generations are closely observing political conduct, saying children and Gen Z are watching, and urged that they be allowed to grow up in an increasingly progressive democracy so that the future remains theirs.