Today protests took place regarding power cuts. Yesterday, there were lines at petrol pumps for petrol and diesel. So the opposition parties targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But listening to Kamal Haasan today brought surprise. Kamal Haasan is not a supporter of Prime Minister Modi. Today he said he is neither a rightist nor a leftist, but given the conditions across the world after the war between Iran and America, the way the Prime Minister has managed and saved the country from a major crisis is commendable. Kamal Haasan said that people should support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to save fuel.
At this time, forgetting political differences, all parties will have to stand with the government and with the country. More than 60 countries have already imposed energy saving rules. We recently heard the Singapore Prime Minister asking his people to prepare for tough times ahead. We are a much larger country and our Prime Minister has asked us to save energy over the next year. In moments like this, national responsibility must rise above party politics. As Mr. Vajpayee Ji famously said, governments will come and go, but the nation shall remain. During the 1962 China war, we donated gold from our homes to support our soldiers fighting at the border. In 1965, when India did not have enough food grains, Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji asked citizens to skip one meal a week for the whole nation. Today, India does not need such sacrifices. Surely, we must do this for our country when our parents did much more. Remember, every unit of energy saved today strengthens India tomorrow.
Let me tell you in Hindi the meaning of the appeal Kamal Haasan made in English. Kamal Haasan said that due to the Middle East crisis, more than 60 countries had imposed various types of restrictions to save fuel and foreign currency. Kamal Haasan said that during the wars of 1962 and 1965, the country had donated gold and skipped meals at one time to save food. Now the challenge is not that big, but citizens should take small steps from their side. Kamal Haasan runs a political party named MNM in Tamil Nadu. He is an opponent of the BJP, yet he supported the Prime Minister’s appeal. However, Kamal Haasan has given this suggestion to the Central Government: in times of crisis, Prime Minister Modi should talk to all the states, call a meeting of Chief Ministers, and it would be better if steps like making public transport cheaper are taken.
As a centrist, I also acknowledge good work irrespective of my political alliances. At the same time, sacrifices cannot be expected only from citizens; governments too share the burden. Therefore, I request the Prime Minister to convene a national summit of all Chief Ministers. Both the Central and State governments should work together to protect the common man and do two things immediately. First, state taxes like VAT on petrol and diesel should be reduced, and secondly, train, metro, and bus fares should also be reduced so that more people can shift away from private vehicles. Kamal Haasan demanded a reduction in tax on petrol and diesel.
He demanded a reduction in the fares of metros, trains, and buses so that more and more people use public transport and the poor can get relief. And this is a good thing. Kamal Haasan spoke positively. He gave a good suggestion that the prices of public transport should be reduced and tax on petrol and diesel should be cut. If everyone gives suggestions like this, a way out will emerge and people will get relief because it is no secret that oil prices have increased.
The food on the plate has become expensive, milk prices have gone up, and the rupee has weakened. This is all true. But it is also true that this crisis has arisen because of the fight between America and Iran. India is not at fault in this. We also cannot say that the people of the country do not understand this; everyone understands. People just want the government to handle this crisis so that inflation does not increase further.
