R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, DEC 13
Blowing the poll bugle, Tamil superstar-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Sunday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spell out the rationale behind constructing a new Parliament building for about Rs 1,000 crore “when half of India is hungry due to coronavirus pandemic triggered loss of livelihoods”.
காசுக்காகக் கூடுவது கும்பல்;
லட்சியத்திற்காகத் திரள்வதன் பெயர் புரட்சி! மக்கள் புரட்சியை மதுரையில் நிகழ்த்திக் காட்டிய எம் கட்சியின் அனைத்து நிர்வாகிகளுக்கும், அணிகளுக்கும், உறுப்பினர்களுக்கும் என் மனமார்ந்த பாராட்டுகள். #எதுவும்_தடையில்லை #சீரமைப்போம்_தமிழகத்தை— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) December 13, 2020
Seeking to liken the proposed construction of the new edifice to the centuries old Great Wall of China, he claimed that ”thousands of people perished” during its construction, but the dragon nation rulers said the wall was to ”guard” the people.
“To protect whom is a new Parliament building being constructed at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore when half of India is hungry due to the coronavirus pandemic triggered loss of livelihoods,” the Makkal Needhi Maiam leader asked in a tweet.
பொங்கும் புது வெள்ளத்திற்குச் சிறுமடைகள் தடை ஆகாது.
பாதை பழசு.
பயணம் புதிது.
வெற்றி நமதே! #எதுவும்_தடையல்ல https://t.co/fER28XOPK5— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) December 13, 2020
”Answer honourable elected Prime Minister,” he said hours before kick starting the first phase of his campaign for the Assembly polls from Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu. Assembly elections are due during April-May 2021 in Tamil Nadu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a new Parliament building on December 10. He also performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the structure, which is expected to be completed by 2022.
"உங்கள் கமல், எங்கள் கமல்" #MakkalNeedhiMaiam #KamalHaasan @ikamalhaasan #MNM #tnassemblyelection2021 #TNElections2021 pic.twitter.com/edL9oI5oAc
— Apoorva Jayachandran (@Jay_Apoorva18) December 13, 2020
Speaking to reporters before leaving for the temple town, Haasan alleged that the authorities had at the last minute not granted permission for MNM to campaign within urban areas, though they had got the nod to go ahead in ”many places”.
Asked about the focus of his party’s campaign, he said it would be ushering in a complete transformation in Tamil Nadu. “There is no doubt about degeneration in the state… people know that well and there is no point lamenting..MNM will talk about what needs to be done now,” he said, apparently targeting the two Dravidian parties, AIADMK and DMK, who have in turn ruled the state since 1967.
பதில் சொல்லுங்கள் என் மாண்புமிகு தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட பிரதமரே….
(2/2)
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) December 13, 2020
Haasan, who began his party advancing a centrist, clean and corruption-free politics, had said that he would enter the electoral fray in the forthcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu as MNM’s chief ministerial candidate. His party would seek the support of actor Rajinikanth, Haasan had told reporters earlier.
He had garnered about 3.7% vote share in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019.
The main opposition DMK had already launched its poll campaign in Tamil Nadu.
This will be the first-ever Assembly polls to be held after the deaths of DMK patriarch Karunanidhi and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa.
According to political pundits, another Superstar of Tamil cinema Rajinikanth’s political plunge in the new year will certainly create realignments. Whether Rajini would garner votes like MGR is a million dollar question.
Nadigar Thilagam Shivaji Ganesan had also launched his political outfit but could not succeed like MGR.
Now, all eyes are on Tamil Nadu only.
