December 11, 2017
CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU: News just came in that superstar Rajinikanth has reportedly expressed his keenness to join politics and launch his own party. But, on Wednesday, when India Today asked Rajinikanth's contemporary actor and superstar Kamal Haasan on his political aspirations, the answer came as a brutal shock to many.
December 11, 2017
CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU: News just came in that superstar Rajinikanth has reportedly expressed his keenness to join politics and launch his own party. But, on Wednesday, when India Today asked Rajinikanth's contemporary actor and superstar Kamal Haasan on his political aspirations, the answer came as a brutal shock to many.
In the interview to India Today's Rajdeep Sardesai, Haasan expressed extreme anger on the rampant corruption in Tamil Nadu politics for the last 60 years and the current uncertainty over leadership between VK Sasikala and O Panneerselvam. Here's an excerpt from the conversation:
Rajdeep Sardesai: You have been direct. You are making it clear to the people of Tamil Nadu that Mr O Panneerselvam is not incompetent, and should be given a chance. If he is proven incompetent, people can throw him out. In that respect, Sasikala should respect the will of Tamil Nadu rather than imposing her will?
Kamal Haasan: Absolutely, even I cannot, with all my connection to television channel, impose my will. I can speak what I think, but can't impose. I may be proven wrong, but I must speak now.
Q: Do you believe the people of Tamil Nadu has been ill-served by the political class which needs to recognise the needs and aspirations of the people?
A: Let us not get carried away by nostalgia. Tamil Nadu has not had the best of service from politicians for more than 60 years now. The first 10 years were glorious, but Congress..Kamraj-ji, Raja-ji.. they all became complacent. Then came the Dravidian parties. Those promises were also not kept. It's sort of churning into a quagmire now.
Q: In this quagmire, at the moment do you the best interest of Tamil Nadu is with Panneerselvam and not Sasikala? That Sasikala, by virtue of the fact that she was close to Jayalalithaa cannot use that as a reason? Do you believe she's not qualified enough to become the chief minister at this point?
A: I don't think it is right on the people, I don't know what her qualifications are. Neither do the people. And sticking around somebody for long enough doesn't make you qualified enough for the profession. Am a lawyer's son, that doesn't mean I can go to the court and argue a case. Am an actor. I trained for that. ..The time of dice playing was done with in Mahabharat. We can't be playing dice and hawking our family wives and lives, in favour of some numbers [Sasikala's MLA support]. We don't trade. We are the people.
Q: You feel let down today. I see in your voice, a sense of frustration and a sense of almost being betrayed by the political class of Tamil Nadu?
A: For how long? I've known betrayal only from the time I have been a boy. And one reason for another is not big enough for me. They keep saying, this is the reason, we could have done it, that's not good enough reason. Show me results, show me roads, clean my rivers. You have done nothing. We have two gutters running around Chennai, we started with rivers a 100 years back. Starting from simple sanitation.
Q: Do you believe that because of what you call the conglomeration of corruption, the politicians of Tamil Nadu have distanced themselves from people and people's issues.
A: Absolutely. It happened to the Congress when they thought they got the freedom for the country, and people as if they owe each other something. It's not true. Results are to be seen for us let them continue. We could have done so many things with just 5 years years you promised. We wasted half a century and more on improving a state. If this is just the state of a state, what have we done to the country?
Q: I sense in you a potential budding politician. You say only do politics till they put a black ink on your finger. But in this anger and frustration, I sense someone who could become a politician if you chose to? Given the filmstar politicians – the MGRs, NTRs, would the Kamal Haasan name be ever added to that list?
A: I don't think so. If you believe in prayers, I don't. If you believe in prayers, pray that I don't come.. Me and my men, so angry, come into politics, because we'll carry guns when we come. We don't want that. This is a nation which has set a legacy of peace and ahimsa, and please do not change it from that. I may not live to see it. I don't want to live to see it, but do not push the people that far that there will be a revolution. They are taking it too lightly because they have been charlatans for too long.
Courtesy: India Today
