The MNM said the number of seats DMK offered and the ‘suggestion’ that MNM nominees should contest under DMK’s Rising Sun symbol are not acceptable.
Haasan said his party will not fight polls but extend unconditional support to all the candidates of the DMK-led alliance. The move was hailed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin as “magnanimous decision setting aside self-interest with dignity and prioritise the welfare of Tamil Nadu”.
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude to him. His decision has deeply moved me,” Stalin, who is the president of the DMK, said and thanked Haasan. He requested “brother Kamal Haasan” to campaign across the state for the April 23 polls.
Haasan, who called on the chief minister and conveyed his decision on Tuesday evening, said in a statement: “In today’s difficult political environment, the number of seats that they (DMK) have promised to give us and the suggestion that we should contest under the Rising Sun symbol are not acceptable to the members of the MNM and to me.”
The MNM joined the DMK-led alliance during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for the good of the nation. “We worked hard for the alliance’s success. As a result, the voice of Makkal Needhi Maiam was heard in the Rajya Sabha. From that day till today, we have maintained the alliance dharma without giving up our uniqueness,” he said.
The AIADMK hit out at Haasan over the decision. Party spokesperson Kovai Sathyan said, “The decision by Kamal Haasan not to contest in the assembly election is not a sacrifice; it is his incompetence. This is the problem with actors who are on the silver screen. They believe that in public life, whatever you talk about in front of the camera is what you need to deliver in public life. In public life, you have to have the political acumen, leadership attributes, and qualities to do good for the people. But unfortunately, people who are from the silver screen aspiring for public life don’t have the leadership acumen and leadership qualities. We have seen several people who are heroes on the silver screen starting a political party and winding up sooner. And we hope that Vijay will also fall in the same line in a couple of months after the assembly elections.”
