Days after Rajinikanth announced his political entry, his contemporary and actor Kamal Haasan has said that the delay in launching his political party was not due to any doubts or fear but he was being cautious as he wanted to build an organisation that would outlast him.
“People are asking what my ideology is. I want the party’s manifesto to outlast my life. It is my opinion only those who think of future should found a party. Hence the delay to start the party is not because of any doubts or fear but the efforts taken for it,” he wrote in his weekly column dispelling his supporters’ doubts over the delay in the launch of the party.
Haasan equated the people asking about the progress of his political party launch to those who wanting know the story plot before the release of a movie. “In cinema there is a fear that a rival may complete a film and release it before we are able to do it. In politics also there is such a fear,” he said in an apparent reference to Rajinikanth, who has also announced his entry into politics.
“That is why one has to be careful. What has to be said has to be said carefully and correctly. One has to guard against taking back what has been uttered. I am involved in that only,” he said.
Hassan had stepped into politics after challenged the ruling party for weeks through his tweets. He had accused the government of Edappadi K Palaniswami of corruption and bad governance and promised a whistle-blower app by January. As he got busy in his movie works, Rajinikanth announced his decision to contest in all the 234 seats in the next Assembly polls and fast paced his works for the launch of political party. Both the actors aims to fill up the political void created by the demise of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and ailing DMK president M Karunanidhi.
To the question of how he would tackle problem of friends turning rivals in politics, Haasan said he would not antagonise his friends and turn them into enemy to secure his position like the traditional politician. “Today’s youth are not ready to continue under such leadership,” he said, adding that he wanted to be a co-ordinator who would work as per his party’s ideology and reach out to his friends and elders.