Kamal Haasan, the actor-turned-politician, on Sunday kick-started his election campaign for the 2021 Assembly elections with a four-day rally in Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
Coincidentally, Haasan had launched his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) in Madurai two years ago in Madurai.
On Monday, the second day of the election campaign, Haasan was seen rallying in Usilampatti.
While addressing the crowd in Madurai on Sunday, the MNM chief said that if his party comes to power he would take forward “the dream of Purachithalaivar MGR (AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran) to establish Madurai as the second capital of Tamil Nadu”, as per a report by ANI.
Haasan also mentioned that Madurai was named after the Madurai Revolution. “Congratulating teams and members of the M Party who carried out the People’s Revolution in Madurai,” he tweeted.
“The MNM is politically people-centred. MNM youth should go house to house and meet people. The time has come for me to act, and the rule is ours and tomorrow is ours. The eradication of corruption cannot be done by the individual, with the cooperation of the people surely corruption can be eradicated. We will eradicate corruption,” he added.
Before beginning his rally on Sunday, he threw a question at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter: “When half of India is starving after losing its livelihood due to the Corona, who will build a parliament worth Rs 1,000 crore?”
During his four-day campaign, Haasan is expected to travel across Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanniyakumari districts, as per a PTI report.
Incidentally, at a time when India is still maintaining Covid-19 protocols, neither Haasan nor his supporters were seen wearing face masks during the Usilampatti rally.
None of them are wearing masks!!!!!! – Kamal Haasan in Madurai!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/PsVBq5EDdx
— Sangeetha Kandavel (@sang1983) December 13, 2020
1,141 new Covid-19 positive cases have been recorded in Tamil Nadu on Monday, taking the total to 8,00,029 in the state till date. With 14 new deaths since Monday, the death toll of the state is 11,909 till date. While Madurai recorded 25 new cases and one death on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the district to 20,142.
In February 2018, Haasan first announced his party and started a tour from his birthplace Ramanathapuram to Madurai. Haasan had paid visits to invite several political leaders including Chief Minister of New Delhi and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam chief Vijayakanth, Naam Tamizhar’s party leader Seeman, DMK working president MK Stalin and actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth to his party’s launch. The launch party was finally attended by Kejriwal, former New Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti (AAP’s Tamil Nadu in charge), and farmer leader PR Pandian, along with a video felicitation played from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The MNM contested in the 2019 Indian general election from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, but couldn’t secure a single seat.
