Veteran actor Kamal Haasan took oath as a Rajya Sabha MP on Friday (July 25). He took his oath in Tamil to resounding thumps on the table by fellow Parliamentarians. For those unversed, he was nominated with backing from the ruling DMK-led alliance, which had assured him a Rajya Sabha seat in exchange for MNM's support during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Just a couple of hours after his first Parliament appearance, the actor-politician shared his official statement on X.
In the statement, he promised to be the voice of Tamil Nadu in Delhi.
"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," he said.
Haasam further stated, "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."
The actor stated that he will not arrive in Parliament as a mere critic, but as a "committed contributor to the idea of India".
"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. To the people who have walked beside me on this journey - I thank you. To those who doubt - I hear you. And to those who hope - I shall not let you down," he added.
On June 12, Kamal Haasan, president of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), and five others were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu.
