Actor Kamal Haasan has urged the people of the state to send evidence of corruption rampant in government departments across the Tamil Nadu state to the government.
The actor made this appeal through a statement that was released through his Twitter account, late on Wednesday.
The statement comes at a time when the ministers of the state, and various political parties, have been picking on Haasan for pointing out irregularities in various government departments.
In the statement, Haasan, who was responding to a TN minister's demand for evidence of corruption in the government, said, "I need to say this with evidence, it seems. This is the minister's order. If they have forgotten so soon, the mourning cry of the public that rent the air of the state as a result of corruption, the public are there to remind them. Why do they need me in the middle, a priest?
"This statement is basically a request to the public, asking them to send evidences of corruption in government departments to the respective ministers through websites or any other media available to them. This is as per the minister's wish.
"Please explain in detail the difficulties you experienced as a result of corruption during the regime of this government. Also, raise a question when you send the message to the minister. Please ensure that the questions you pose are in a dignified manner and on no account show any disrespect. Let them understand that the people are more honourable that the present-day ministers. At the very least, a few lakh questions will arrive. Whether they will arrest all those who question or answer their questions is something that we will have to wait and see. They do not have enough prisons to arrest so many lakh people in south India.
"The people will raise their voices against corruption in all government departments. I will point out the corruption in my department. Other than a few people like me who are exceptions, the vast majority are, out of fear, accomplices to the bribe dramas that go on for issuing tax exemption certificates for films. If just the bold people of the film industry raise their voices, the corruption vessel of the government will overflow," the actor said.
The actor ran into controversy last week after suggesting that the Tamil Nadu government was plagued by corruption in all departments. This earned his wide ridicule, with the minister of state for finance replying that if the actor 'had guts' then he should enter politics.