After Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent views about the "need" for Hindi to become a common language of India, actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam party chief Kamal Haasan has released a video clip, cautioning Shah against "destroying" linguistic diversity.

Kamal Haasan says, "When India became a Republic in 1950, the government promised people that diversity would be respected, and now no Shah or Sultan or Samrat must try to break the promise all of a sudden. Jallikattu was a small protest and was a smaller win, and if we decide to fight for our language, it will be exponentially bigger".

He said that Rabindranath Tagore's Jana Gana Mana is sung with pride by Indians only because the author respected the linguistic diversity.

"Now you are constrained to prove to us that India will continue to be a free country. You must consult the people before you make a new law or a new scheme," he added.

Now you are constrained to prove to us that India will continue to be a free country.

You must consult the people before you make a new law or a new scheme. pic.twitter.com/u0De38bzk0

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) September 16, 2019