“I apologise to all of you for stepping into politics so late,” actor and Makkal Neethi Maiyam (MNM) founder Kamal Hassan said here on Thursday.
Campaigning for MNM candidates Sudakar (Dindigul Lok Sabha constituency) and Chinnadurai (Nilakottai Assembly by-poll), he said if he had come into public life a few decades ago, Dindigul would have been a different city to live.
MNM was born purely to serve the people of the State and expose corrupt politicians. “Today, every individual in the State has a debt burden of at least ₹1 lakh due to bad governance, mismanagement and malpractice. To put an end to the menace, MNM will turn into a formidable force,” he said amid applause.
Answering queries and doubts on why he did not contest the Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Kamal Hassan said in a lighter vein that he was present in all 40 constituencies. “If you elect MNM candidates in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, we will decide the next Prime Minister of our country.”
He came down heavily on comments made by political opponents that MNM was a “B” team. “We are the A team and we will expose all parties that ruined the State in the past,” he said.
The actor disagreed with Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from two Lok Sabha constituencies. “Assuming that he wins in both seats, he has to give up one constituency. The people will have to vote again, which is a waste of public money, Mr. Kamal Hassan opined.
The MNM had fielded responsible people who had standing in society. They had taken a pledge to serve the masses without expecting anything in return, he said and urged the voters to give them an opportunity to represent them in the Lok Sabha.
“I am an example of honesty and stand before you to say that I have been paying taxes to the government without suppressing any facts on the income earned,” he added.