Actor and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan triggered a fresh controversy with his remarks against Sanatana Dharma. The Makkal Needhi Maiam chief, speaking at the 15th anniversary of the Agaram Foundation in Chennai on Sunday, August 3, said that only education can break the shackles of Sanatana. Agaram, a charitable organisation run by actor Suriya, works to provide education to students from underprivileged backgrounds.
Referring to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), which is seen as a barrier preventing marginalised students from pursuing higher education, Kamal Haasan said, “Only education has the power to change the nation. It is the only weapon that can break the shackles of dictatorship and Sanatana. Do not take any other weapon in your hand. It isn’t possible to win with any other weapon. You will be defeated by majoritarianism; ignorant majoritarians will defeat you.”
Expressing his opposition to NEET, the actor-politician added, “The doctors you saw on stage today… I’m not sure if they can showcase another batch of doctors like this at their next event. Because efforts like these haven’t been possible post-2017. Now, do you understand why we have been opposing NEET?”
He said that since 2017, NEET has prevented many children from accessing higher education. “Agaram cannot do anything about it,” he remarked, adding that only education can empower people to change the situation. He clarified that his comments were not political, stating, “NEET is an issue of education, not politics.”
Condemning his remarks, BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan accused the MP of “dividing people” on religious lines. “Kamal Haasan is more thankful to DMK than its own cadres. If he speaks about Sanatana, Udhayanidhi and Stalin will be happy. However, Tamil Nadu people will be unhappy, and not only Tamil Nadu, the sentiments of all Indians who follow that ideology will be hurt,” she told news agency ANI.
Similarly, BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy demanded an apology.
“Money and power have corrupted Kamal Haasan. He has forgotten his family’s Sanatana roots. What he has said is not just against Sanatana Dharma, but against India and the majority of its people. He must apologise.”
Earlier, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin had stirred a similar controversy by likening Sanatana to diseases like dengue and malaria.