NAGAPATTINAM: Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder- president Kamal Haasan visited the district on Thursday to campaign for the party’s candidates. Campaigning in Nagapattinam for K Guruvaiah, Kamal Haasan said, “We are not the ‘B’ team of BJP. People try desperately to say this, even comparing my name with the BJP party symbol and come up with theories that MNM was formed to split votes. It is not the lotus which needs to be blooming, but people’s welfare.
Do not ‘team’ us. We are a team which had been working for the nation’s unity since we were a charitable fan club. We are an ‘A’ team’ for the principles of secularism and rationalism in the country.”
He said if the MNM was a ‘B’ team of the BJP, how could he be friends with leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan, Arvind Kejriwal, and Yogendra Yadav. Also, the actor-politician took a dig at Election Commission for its directive to ban the use of battery torch light (its symbol) among tribal people beyond 10 pm, which forced them revert to fire torches (Theevatti).
“Some people think such moves can diminish our reach. Even those people stumble at obstructions in darkness, but we will win despite all obstructions,” said the MNM founder. “I visited the district thrice in the aftermath of Cyclone Gaja. It is sad to see trees still lie where they have fallen, obstructing paths.”