New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP and actor Kamal Haasan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday in the national capital and requested him to “expedite the recognition of Keeladi’s antiquity.”
Taking to X, Kamal Haasan shared several pictures from his first meeting with the PM after being sworn in as a Member of Rajya Sabha last month.
In his post, he expressed that it was an honour to meet the Prime Minister and took the opportunity to convey the key concerns of the people of Tamil Nadu.
“Today, I had the honour of meeting the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji. As a representative of the people of Tamil Nadu and as an artist, I placed before him a few requests, foremost among them was the call to expedite the recognition of Keeladi’s antiquity,” Kamal Haasan shared.
“I urged the Prime Minister to extend his support to the Tamil people in showcasing to the world the grandeur of Tamil civilisation and the timeless glory of the Tamil language,” he added.
As a symbolic gesture, the MP also presented Prime Minister Modi with a memento themed around Keeladi village, 12km from Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai river, an ancient site dating back to the Sangam era. However, the Centre and DMK-led Tamil Nadu government have been at loggerheads over the Keezhadi, also spelt Keeladi, findings.
On July 25, the 69-year-old veteran actor took the oath in Tamil as MP in the Upper House of Parliament, receiving a resounding applause from fellow MPs.
Kamal Haasan’s election to the Upper House marks a significant milestone in his political journey, as he assumes a national legislative role for the first time. He was nominated with the support of the ruling DMK-led alliance, which had promised him a Rajya Sabha seat in return for MNM’s support during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Kamal Haasan filed his nomination on June 6 at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin, Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, and DMK allies, including VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, MDMK’s Vaiko, and Tamil Nadu Congress chief Selvaperunthagai.