Actor and Rajya Sabha member Kamal Haasan said: “Education is the only weapon that can break the chains of dictatorship and Sanatanam.” The Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) leader was speaking at an event organised by the Agaram Foundation in Chennai on Sunday. 

His comments come when a former minister and NCP-SP leader Jitendra Awhad in Maharashtra, too, held Sanatan Dharma responsible for caste atrocities, and called to differentiate between it and Hinduism. 

According to a report by Hindustan Times, in his speech on Sunday — August 3, Haasan said: “Don't take anything else in your hands, only education. We cannot win without it, because the majority can make you lose. Majority (of) fools will make you lose… That's why we must hold on to it (education) firmly.”

Haasan added that many students' opportunities have been "reduced" with the implementation of NEET in 2017 for admission to medical institutions. 

He also related a recent encounter with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin regarding the work of the Agaram Foundation, and ended his speech by emphasising that, despite the long-lasting effects they leave behind, the work of true leaders frequently goes unacknowledged. 

Haasan's Parliament debut

Haasan took the oath of office as a Rajya Sabha member on July 25, marking his first official appearance in the Parliament.

An important turning point in Haasan's political career was his entry into the Rajya Sabha,.

The ruling DMK-led alliance, which had promised him a seat in the Upper House in exchange for MNM's support in the general elections of 2024, backed his nomination.