Kamal Haasan’s political party is ‘Makkal Needhi Maiam’
TAMIL SUPERSTAR BEGINS THE DAY WITH A VISIT TO THE RESIDENCE OF ABDUL KALAM
MADURAI: Superstar Kamal Haasan announced the name of his new political party on Wednesday night at a massive function in Madurai, seen as Tamil Nadu’s political capital, where shared the stage with Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who was the chief guest for the evening.
“My party’s name is Makkal Needhi Maiam (roughly translated to People’s Justice Centre),” said the 62-year-old Haasan, standing at a giant stage near the just-unveiled party flag that symbolises the party’s Dravidian ideology that puts people at its core.
Elaborating on his party’s ideology later, Haasan said the party could not be bracketed as left or right but would draw the best from all ideologies.”i’m Centre,” he said, adding that this is why the party’s name also included the word, centre,
“This is not a one-day thing. This is a long-term goal... I am here to stay,” the popular star said, adding, “I think the award for all this patience is all the allies and friends I have. One among them is Kejriwal.”
The Delhi chief minister had flown into Tamil Nadu just a few minutes earlier and spent much of the evening by his side, listening to his plans for the states and asking people to vote for Kamal Haasan as well. But there are other friends as well. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who later delivered a recorded video message to the people.
“This is a party for the people... I am not a leader but a follower who would listen to your suggestions,” the superstar said to loud cheers from the thousands of people who had gathered at Madurai’s grounds.
To a massive crowd that had turned up for his power-packed entry into politics, Haasan said, “is just an example of what we can achieve”.
Haasan, who plans to launch a mega tour of the state to reach out to people, promised that there were going to many such political meetings. “This is just a sample,” he said.
The Delhi Chief Minister appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to vote for the new party of Kamal Haasan and throw out the allegedly “corrupt,” AIADMK and DMK.
In his brief address in English which was translated into Tamil, Kejriwal said, “if you want corruption vote for DMK and AIADMK and if you want schools, hospitals, water, and electricity vote for Kamal Haasan.”
As he gathered new political friends ahead of the launch, Kamal Haasan has already signalled who he will not befriend.
Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK for one; he called the party “bad” on Tuesday explaining why he had not met any AIADMK leader ahead of his political plunge.
He met DMK chief M Karunanidhi, DMDK’S Vijayakanth and also Tamil Nadu’s other superstar now poised for a political career, Rajinikanth. The actor, who has repeatedly distanced himself from “saffron”, has not met any leaders of the BJP either.
The choice of Madurai for the superstar’s blockbuster political debut is significant; it is considered the political capital of Tamil Nadu and has a sizeable presence of Thevars, a politically significant community that has often featured in Kamal Haasan’s films. Importantly for the actor, Madurai is also the town where his icon Mahatma Gandhi adopted the loin cloth.
Haasan on Wednesday began his political journey by visiting the house of AP J Abdul Kalam here, describing the former president as his “role model”.
He began the day with a visit to the residence of Kalam in this island and received the blessings of the late leader’s centenarian brother Mohammed Muthumeeran Lebbai Maraikkayar.
“Greatness can come from simple beginnings. It will come only from simplicity. Glad to start my journey from a great man’s simple abode,” he said in a tweet on his visit to Kalam’s residence where a large number of his supporters gathered.
He also paid homage at the memorial of the ‘missile man’ at Peikarumbu.
Elaborating on his party’s ideology later, Haasan said the party could not be bracketed as left or right but would draw the best from all ideologies