Actor Kamal Haasan, the founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam who will be contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, called out Rajinikanth, MK Stalin and other politicians for their activities ahead of the elections.
He said the DMK supremo Stalin was copying him by conducting a Gram Sabha meeting, and criticised actor Rajinikanth’s decision to not contest parliamentary elections. He spoke about the recent Pulwama attacks and asked why India was scared to call for a plebiscite in Kashmir.
Talking at an event at the Rotaract Annual District Conference held in Chennai, Kamal criticised Stalin and asked, “Are you not ashamed of copying from a small boy who came yesterday?”
He further took a dig by referring to the incident when Stalin came out of Tamil Nadu Assembly in torn shirt on 17 February 2018, after the AIADMK government led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami sought a vote of confidence. He said, “I cannot stand with a torn shirt on streets. Even in assembly I will not tear my shirt. Even if it gets torn, I will change my clothes and come out of the hall properly. So the decorum of the country starts with you.”
Kamal Haasan slammed Rajinikanth, who announced on Sunday that he will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Rajinikanth had issued a statement saying his only focus was the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. Talking about it, Haasan said, “After applying oil all over the body and twirling your mustache, when time comes to entering the wrestling ring if you say, ‘I will come tomorrow,’ no one will respect you. When the banana leaf is served if you say ‘I will eat later, because doctor advised me a diet,’ won’t they ask you, ‘Didn’t you know before sitting?'”
“As I have entered politics, I cannot avoid elections. It may be either Lok Sabha or state assembly elections. As a political party, we should face elections. If we say we will consider the next elections, then people will not respect us. If we say we will contest only in Delhi or only in Tamil Nadu then there is no point in saluting the National flag. Neither Delhi nor Tamil Nadu should think that they can live and survive without each other,” he further added.
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He spoke about the CRPF troops’ death in the Pulawama attack, and said, “I strongly disagree when people say that soldiers are born to die. Why should a watchman of our house die for us? If the politicians of both the countries behave properly, then there is no need for anyone to shed lives.”
Kamal further referred to an article published by him three decades back and asked why the government did not hold a plebiscite in Kashmir and what they were afraid of. He called Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) aazad Kashmir, and said, “If India has to prove we are a far better country, we will not behave like them (Pakistan). There begins neo-politics.”
When asked what he had learnt from his one year of political journey, Kamal said, “People who were in politics for so long taught me what should never be done. I got confidence when I saw that a man without common sense is a great leader. And the second thing is I was taught to listen to people which politicians before me didn’t do.”