Do not divide people of Tamil Nadu: Kamal Haasan

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Press Trust of India Mumbai
Last Updated : Mar 09 2018 | 10:35 PM IST
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan said today people should let Tamil Nadu decide what it wants and not interfere in its affairs as doing so could be "volatile and dangerous".
Haasan, who recently launched his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam (People's Justice Centre)in Tamil Nadu, said no one should divide the people of the state.
Haasan was speaking at the 15th edition of the Young Indians Annual Summit, 'Take Pride 2018'.
Asked about the education system of the country and if it's healthy,Haasan said he himself was a high school dropout.
"There must be something terribly wrong with it (the education system) that a high school dropout is more successful than so many educated people," he said.
The 63-year-old filmstar-politician said over the decades, there hasn't been a "sea change" and thinks launching a skill set development programme will be the equivalent of "the new satyagraha movement".
"If we do that, we empower India so much that education will take care of itself. I think we must seriously, leave the states be and don't make it a monoculture, monolithic thing.
"Diversity is the beauty of India and it should be maintained," he said.
Elaborating further, Haasan said the states must be given the right to decide its syllabus.
"Tamil Nadu should be given the right to decide its syllabus and what its people need, leave their pride be.
"Anything you touch will be volatile and dangerous for all of us because that will reflect on various other states."
"Do not panic, do not divide the people. That's my request from the other end of India. I think the rest of India will also agree because we comprise of so many individuals, diverse, linguistic states and that pride should not be tampered with," he added.
The actor said the state "with great efforts" was moving away from casteism but some people were trying to pull it back.
"This has got nothing to do with casteism or other things which are people now trying to bring in Tamil Nadu. With great efforts we were losing it and now it's coming back again.
"I will not let it be. This is citizen K speaking, not a politician," he said.

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First Published: Mar 09 2018 | 10:35 PM IST

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