In the company of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who rode an anti-corruption wave to capture power, veteran actor Kamal Haasan on Wednesday asked the people in Tamil Nadu to come together to eliminate corruption.
Stating that the people had been mute spectators to all kinds of corruption, he said, “All the shortage of resources in the State was due to the greed [of politicians]. Today is the day to speak up [against corruption] and tomorrow is for action.”
Mr. Haasan held the people equally responsible for the poor state of affairs as they accepted cash for vote. “You do not know the value of your vote and sold it for a few thousands. Had you voted for a good party, you could have got benefits in lakhs of rupees [through good governance],” he said. Later answering questions from the fans, he said a single man can’t end corruption and it had to be a collective effort.
Gone were the days when the leaders dictated terms, he said, adding that the partymen would dominate his party’s functioning. “No one will hold on to power in this party forever. For those who mock at my age, I can say that I will work for the welfare of the people till my end and sow the seeds of the future. The baton will be passed. There won’t be any permanent CM in this party.”
Mr. Haasan also spoke firmly against freebies popularised by the Dravidian parties. Asked if he would give quarter (bottle of liquor) to men and scooter to women, he said he would, on the contrary, generate employment and foster growth. Noting that the party has already adopted eight villages, he said, “We will achieve complete transformation of these villages. If there are any shortcomings, we will change our methods.”
In his speech, Mr. Kejriwal said his party had seen a huge success in the Delhi Assembly election within six months of its formation. The people of Delhi had rejected the mighty BJP and the Congress and made AAP victorious; Kamal will be an honest political alternative to the corrupt DMK and AIADMK, he said.
