Kamal Haasan promises to be ‘voice of Tamil Nadu' in Delhi, advocates for centrism as he takes oath as Rajya Sabha MP

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

Actor Kamal Haasan took oath as a Rajya Sabha Member on Friday. The actor nd Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief delivered his oath in Tamil, drawing loud desk thumps from fellow Parliamentarians. On his X account, he shared a long statement to announce the beginning of a 'new chapter'. MNM, MP Kamal Haasan during his oath ceremony in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, in New Delhi on Friday. (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab) ( Sansad TV ANI Video Grab)
Kamal Haasan's statement
In his note, Kamal began, 'Today, as I rose to take the affirmation as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, I did so with a heart full of humility and a conscience weighed by responsibility. I have sworn to uphold the Constitution of India not as a ritual of formality, but as a solemn promise to serve its spirit with fidelity, courage, and conscience. This moment is not mine alone. I share it with my people, whose voices I carry into the chambers of power. I share it with the soil of Tamil Nadu that has nurtured me a land that has produced poets and revolutionaries, thinkers and reformers, and above all, citizens who believe deeply in justice, dignity, and self-respect. I also carry the invisible, enduring presence of my father a freedom fighter who taught me that liberty must be lived, not merely won. In my veins flows not just his blood, but his values forged in the crucible of our struggle for independence, tempered by the dreams of Gandhiji, the intellect of Ambedkar, and the conviction of Periyar.'
He addressed his perspective on leading with centrism, and added, 'It is in that spirit that I speak of centrism, not as a compromise but as a conviction. Centrism, the political ideology of Makkal Needhi Maiam, is the art of balance- of embracing both equity and efficiency, liberty and fraternity, tradition and progress. It is a philosophy not rooted in hesitation but in harmony.'
He added, 'India's freedom movement itself was a coalition of diverse dreams and ideologies. It was not a monochrome march, but a magnificent mosaic - Gandhiji's non-violence, Ambedkar's constitutionalism, Nehru's pluralism, Patel's pragmatism, and Periyar's rationalism - all found space under the same sky.'
He concluded, 'I will strive to be the voice of Tamil Nadu in Delhi- clear, compassionate and committed. I will speak not for one community, but for the common good. Not for narrow gain, but for national growth.'
Kamal had filed his nomination papers on June 6 at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat, accompanied by chief minister MK Stalin, deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and senior leaders from alliance partners including VCK's Thol. Thirumavalavan, MDMK's Vaiko, and Tamil Nadu Congress chief Selvaperunthagai.
On the work front, he was last seen in Mani Ratnam's Thug Life.