Actor Kamal Haasan who stayed away from contesting in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls has announced that he would contest in the Assembly polls of Tamil Nadu, and added that the name of the constituency will be announced later. Addressing the media in Madurai on Monday, the actor said, “I will definitely contest in the polls. Where I will contest, will be announced later.”
Kamal Haasan’s party, the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) had contested in 38 parliamentary constituencies and 19 bye-poll seats in 2019. However, Kamal Haasan himself did not contest. Since the MNM had done well in constituencies in urban areas, it is highly likely that Kamal would choose to contest from Chennai, a city where he has been living for decades.
At the press meet, Kamal was also asked about the possibilities of an alliance with actor Rajinikanth, who is expected to launch his party in January.
“It’s been a year since I said that there is a possibility of us becoming allies. The right time should come for that. It would be right to answer this question after 31 December,” Kamal said, referring to his November 2019 statement that arises, the two would join hands. Rajinikanth has said that he will make details of his party clear on 31 December.
Kamal also added that he would soon announce a third front alliance shortly. Since Kamal and Rajinikanth have both positioned themselves as against the Dravidian parties, it is expected that they would form separate fronts or a common third front to take on the AIADMK and DMK.
\Denying that Rajini and him are rivals, Kamal went on to say, “We are not competitors even in cinema. People thought it would be nice if we compete and pit us both against each other like ‘Golu dolls’. Both of us have our own paths.”
He also claimed that he would run his political party on the basis of honesty. “There is no honesty in some political parties now. There are honest people in all parties. Our campaign has not been permitted because the ruling party knows that the support for us will increase due to anti-incumbency,” he said.
Several former bureaucrats have joined the MNM, among this many have the reputation of having been honest officers and that’s a perception that the MNM wants to bank on.
The actor also promised a government without corruption, stating,
“We entered politics to govern. Our journey should be towards the goal. The government must be without corruption. There should not be any corruption across levels of power. We should work towards eradicating corruption from the top. Punishing lower rung employees for corruption will not help in getting rid of corruption.”Kamal Haasan
When asked why he didn’t enter politics before Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi death, Kamal said, “MGR did ask me if I have political ambitions around 37 years ago. I joked to him saying, “well, you are there for that. Let us (actors) do our work.” LIke my father, I also did not think of politics when I was young.”
(This story was first published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)