Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan on Tuesday said the MNM will contest the Assembly elections in Puducherry next year with a vision to make the U.T. a forerunner in socio-economic development and an exemplar in governance.
Addressing a meeting to welcome new members into the party and distribute welfare assistance to select beneficiaries, Mr. Haasan said he would directly supervise the MNM election campaign in Puducherry.
The party would strive to free the place from the clutches of “corrupt and criminal elements” and make it the most advanced place in the country, he said.
Exhorting partymen to work in unison, irrespective of whether they were experienced hands or newcomers, the actor-politician termed the meeting a “turning point” in the political history of Puducherry, which shared a common language, culture and race, with Tamil Nadu.
“Consider me not as a film star but as a lamp in the family that you keep aflame always”, Mr. Haasan said. He commemorated former MNM leader and Parliamentary election candidate in Puducherry M.A. Subramanian who died recently due to COVID-19.
At the core of the MNM’s messaging was its contrast with the major Dravidian parties and a show reel that ran on a large screen before the meeting showcased several moments Mr. Haasan shared with former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran as well as controversial episodes from the political past of the AIADMK and the DMK.
When Rudra Kumar, former Law Secretary, who was among those welcomed into the MNM fold, began to bow to seek his blessing, the veteran actor stopped him saying: “This practice is not there in our party.” There was huge cheer from the audience.
