Makkal Needhi Maiam leader urges youngsters to get involved in politics

Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan on Tuesday said that when compared to Indian languages of Dravidian origin, Hindi was a little child.

To a query from a student from the northeast on his stand on the imposition of Hindi at the Media Con’19, organised by the Department of Visual Communication at Loyola College in Chennai, he said, “Hindi is a little child – compared to Tamil, Telugu, and Sanskrit. Our contention is…do not stuff it down our throat.”

Social media

He said it was responsibility of youngsters to get involved in politics. “There is no education, agriculture and human development without government and politics. We can take society where we want, collectively. We are talking about politics here; there should be no doubt about it. I am not saying ‘Vote for my party’. Young people should not stand on the sidelines saying politics is dirty. They should be aware of their responsibility,” Mr. Haasan said.

About social media, he said, “We have invented a fantastic tool – it will have its sharp edges. It is no use getting worried about the knife — we can use it in the kitchen or to commit murders. We have to work around it and see to it that it is in the right hands.”

As for privacy, he said, “Both users and inventors of technology have to be responsible…Internet has given us freedom of speech, we must retain it by not abusing it.”

When a student asked Mr Haasan to comment on the issue of Dalits not being allowed to cremate their dead peacefully in Vellore district and the State government attempting to build a separate graveyard, he said, “At least in the graveyard, we must ensure that there is equality. Let’s start from there. Let me be with my Dalit brethren at least in my death.” Later in the day, former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha met Mr. Haasan to discuss economic and political affairs in India and Tamil Nadu. A source present at the meeting said Mr. Haasan and Mr. Sinha spoke in detail about Central and State politics.