CHENNAI: Ever since R Mahendran, a pioneer of vanilla farming in the State, was appointed vice-president of Makkal Needhi Maiam, he has been managing day-to-day functioning of the party. Express caught up with Kamal Haasan's right hand man before he sets off on a State-wide campaign
There are reports suggesting Makkal Needhi Maiam has very poor rural penetration. Your thoughts on that
This is not true. 'Gramam thaan ellaam'. For a party that is only a year old, we have managed to penetrate into rural pockets. Most of our campaigns are taking part in villages outside peripheries of towns and cities. We have very strong penetration in the coastal belt and in the Western regions. This does not mean I am content with the work done. We still need to strengthen our presence in the hilly areas.
Founder Kamal Haasan has repeatedly talked about putting his ear to the ground. What do you feel people want ?
People want leaders who are approachable and accessible after elections. Politicians have become increasingly inaccessible after late 70s and are tired of this. Unemployment is at an all-time high in the country and people want political parties to keep their promises.
Every party in the State has a caste vote bank. How will you counter that? Will you end up doing the same?
Makkal Needhi Maiam will not play caste politics. We are aware of the way other parties are operating, but we will not follow their example. Winning matters to us, but we do not believe that the ends justify the means.
Votes are invariably bought and MNM has been very vocal against it. Do you think its practical to expect people to refuse cash?
People who are self-sufficient do not generally take the money. People who are bought are the ones whose everyday existence is not easy. People should not take money in exchange for votes. Like the freedom movement or the anti-apartheid movements, this too will take time. And we will keep insisting on this
MNM is the first Tamil party to invite non-party members to contest on party ticket. What's the rationale behind this?
As I was across the State with the party, I noticed more and more people with local significance asking how they can be part of this movement. Seeing these people with 'nalla peru' in their communities expressing interest in joining our movement, we decided to help them bring change in their areas by contesting elections.