Days after registering his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), with the Election Commission of India (ECI), Kamal Haasan on Friday said the people mostly required the "bare minimum", but the underlying fact was that they do not even have that. "I'll be able to serve people better than they're being served now," said Kamal after delivering the keynote address at the Manorama News Conclave 2018.
Kamal said his party is in the process of discussion whether it should contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Kamal added that he would be looking to join hands with secular parties.
The actor-turned-politician did not spare the practice of "monarchy" across fields.
"Even after 70 odd years, we are still looking for a monarch," said Kamal. "That is why in Tamil Nadu, people are calling the leaders as Thalaivas. Even my partymen have the same mindset. But I am trying to change that. It exists not just in politics, but cinema and other avenues too. They all come as ordinary men, and once they become stars or leaders, they think they are special. Nobody is special. It is the people who make stars or leaders."
Kamal affirmed that he welcomes questions. "I am re-crafting myself when I am facing each question." Kamal added that his life as an actor was always under public scrutiny. As a politician too, it will remain an open book, he said. Kamal also lauded the historic privacy judgment delivered by the Supreme Court last year.
Talking about Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Kamal said that he liked Vijayan because he did not act in life. "I also like him because I believe in centrism.” Explaining a bit, Kamal said centrism was not an evasive philosophy but the option to choose the best from all. Notably, the Kerala chief minister was one of the leaders Kamal visited after he announced his political foray.
Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore inaugurated the Manorama News Conclave 2018 on Friday morning. Prominent ministers, judges and other thinkers are participating at the Manorama News Conclave, which is into its second edition.
Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Alphons Kanamthanam are also attending the Manorama News Conclave. Other prominent speakers at the Manorama News Conclave include Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and DMK's Kanimozhi.