Tamil Nadu: Kamal Haasan extends support towards DMK's anti-CAA rally scheduled on Dec 23

Tollywood actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) leader Kamal Haasan on Saturday, December 21, has extended support towards Dravida Munnetra Kazagham's (DMK) Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rally that is scheduled on Monday, December 23 in Chennai. As per reports, the MNM general secretaries Arunachalam and Souri Rajan visited the DMK headquarters on Saturday to announce the party's support. However, it was not disclosed whether the MNM will be participating in the rally. Rajan said, "Our party's high command will take a call over it. We will release a statement soon."

Earlier, DMK leader MK Stalin had announced an Anti-CAA rally that will be held on December 23. The party has the support of its allies including Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) among other parties.

MK Stalin attacks Palaniswami for supporting CAA

DMK leader MK Stalin slammed Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswami for supporting the newly amended citizenship law. According to Stalin, the Chief Minister is ready to follow and implement anything that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will say. 

Read: EC registers AMMK as political party, says no similarities in name with AIADMK

Kamal Haasan challenges CAA in SC

The MNM leader on December 16, challenged the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Supreme Court, calling it  "State terrorism". During a press conference, he declared that the party's General Secretary AG Mourya had filed a petition in the Supreme Court to fight against the CAA. In his statement, the party chief said, "MNM will leave no stone unturned in seeking every possible course to put an end to the CAA". 

Read: DMK stages protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Puducherry

Anti-CAA protests in Chennai

Amid the third day of protests against the amended Citizenship Act in Madras University, police personnel had entered the campus stopping several students who reached the Marina campus to join the protests, stated reports. Two students Karthikeyan and Subbaiah, who were taken into custody last evening were released around midnight after several political parties, including the opposition DMK, threatened to join the agitation if they were not released. Currently, around 60 students are staging a protest at the main gate of the University's Chepauk campus raising slogans against the BJP, RSS and its student body, the ABVP. The varsity has declared holidays till January 2.

Read: Kamal Haasan stopped from protesting at Madras University, remarks 'India not a gulistan'

The Citizenship Act was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, December 9 and then by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, December 11. The act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Through this bill, Indian citizenship will be provided to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from the three countries to India till December 31, 2014, to put an end to them being treated as illegal immigrants in the country.

Read: Imran Khan fearmongers over Kashmir and anti-CAA protests, threatens 'befitting response'

(WITH ANI INPUTS)