BackKamal Haasan to announce name of his political party on 21 February
Kamal Haasan will announce the name of his political party on 21 February at Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram and begin a state-wide tour the same day
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Chennai: Actor Kamal Haasan on Tuesday said that he would announce the name of his political party on 21 February and would start a statewide tour on the same day from Ramanathapuram district.
Stating that he has immense gratitude towards people of Tamil Nadu, Haasan said: “There is true power in finding one’s purpose in life and mine is to challenge the status quo that has been plaguing the politics of Tamil Nadu for some time now. However, for this to happen, my thoughts and actions need to collectively resonate with the people."
On 17 November, his birthday, Haasan had announced that he would embark on a journey across the state to understand the problems of the people.
“This is a journey of discovery and learning and an opportunity for me to truly understand my people," the actor said in a statement on Tuesday night.
The 63-year-old actor, who said that his political journey would commence from his birth place and hometown Ramanathapuram, will meet people of Madurai, Dindigul and Sivagangai during the first phase.
This announcement comes at a time when Haasan’s friend and colleague Rajinikanth is also keen on floating a new political party and is expected to announce the same soon.
On 31 December, 67-year-old Rajinikanth announced that he will launch a political party that will contest all 234 constituencies in the next Tamil Nadu assembly elections, due in 2021. The actor had said his yet-to-be launched party would function “beyond caste and religion" and engage in “spiritual politics".
The emergence of these actors have come at a time when politics in the state is in turmoil, following the death of late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa in December 2016.
Deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam on Wednesday said, “No party or alliance will have any impact on the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)."
Haasan has been constantly criticizing the Tamil Nadu government for over a year, drawing ire from AIADMK members. In November 2017, the Tamil Nadu fisheries minister D. Jayakumar claimed that the government would take legal action against the actor “if he continued his baseless corruption charges."
In his statement on Tuesday, Haasan said: “At the commencement of the journey, I intend to announce the name of my political party along with the guiding principles we intend to live by," he said.
Haasan added: “Let’s question mediocrity and raise the bar on governance and welfare for the people of Tamil Nadu. This journey is intended towards that goal."
On Wednesday, when reporters asked Rajinikanth if he would join hands with Haasan, the actor said, “Only time will answer."
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