COIMBATORE: Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan on Monday hit back at Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vanathi Srinivasan, his opponent from Coimbatore South constituency, saying that it was faulty logic, in the context of Indian politics, to call someone an “outsider“.
On Srinivasan’s “guest of Coimbatore” remark on Haasan, he said,” You cannot make such logic in politics, there’s no outsider, an Indian is an Indian. (Mahatma) Gandhi Ji isn’t a Gujarati, he’s my father.”
When asked who he will support in case of a hung assembly the MNM chief said, “Both All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam AIADMK and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) aren’t support-worthy. People should make a decisive move towards better politics which means not leaving the Assembly hung, please come and vote.”
“I want to uplift the poor. My target is to win the opportunity to serve the Constitution,” he further said.
“State Eligibility cum Entrance Test (SEET) is an alternative plan, instead of saying we will ban something that has been promulgated by Central govt which is not possible. It’s an empty promise by Mr Stalin when he says we will make it (NEET exam) disappear,” Haasan added.
On corruption charges against AIADMK, the actor-turned-politician said “Corrupt ministers should be sent to jail. The police have to be more active to do that. Raids should be done for punitive reasons rather than for political reasons.”
MNM will be contesting 154 of 234 assembly seats. Of the remaining 80 seats, MNM’s two alliance partners — All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) led by R Sarathkumar and TR Paarivendhar’s Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) — will contest 40 seats each.
Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2.