Fresh blow for Kamal Haasan's MNM as retired IAS officer Santhosh Babu quits party

CHENNAI: The Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) led by actor Kamal Haasan received another blow on Thursday when former IAS officer Santhosh Babu, who was general secretary of the party, and environmental activist D Padma Priya who unsuccessfully contested from the Maduravoyal Assembly constituency quit the party.

Their decision to leave the MNM comes less than a week after the party's vice president R Mahendran quit, levelling charges against Kamal Haasan's way of functioning.  

Santhosh Babu conveyed his decision to quit the MNM through Twitter, citing 'personal reasons'. He also thanked Kamal Haasan and his team for their affection and friendship. Padmapriya said she was quitting MNM due to "some reasons" and did not elaborate on them. Kamal Haasan is yet to react to the latest development.

Incidentally, when Mahendran quit the MNM last week, Santhosh Babu asserted that he came to politics with the sole objective of creating a world-class, honest administration in Tamil Nadu and only Kamal Haasan had the capacity to provide it. As such, he was standing with him. However, within a week, Santhosh Babu too has decided to quit.