Mediocrity ruining Tamil Nadu politics, says Kamal Haasan

CHENNAI: It was all the way Tamil Nadu and Tamil in Kamal Haasan’s 50-minute long keynote address and interaction at the India Conference in the US’ prestigious Harvard University where he outlined his vision for his home state as a politician.

The outspoken actor did not stop just at lambasting the existing government but he took the welcome step of actually walking the talk by explaining how he plans to bring about the lost glory of the state by “reimagining villages.”

Beginning his speech with Vanakkam and ending it with Naalai Namadhe (Tomorrow is Ours), Kamal hit all the right buttons before the audience among whom he “begged” for “ideas and intellect” to “reimagine” Tamil Nadu’s villages and quoted Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s words laying emphasis on how the development of the rural masses will power the country’s rise.  

“I come from a global village called Tamil Nadu…Tamil Nadu is a state which has many things to be proud of…but unfortunately, all is not well with Tamil Nadu now. My true purpose today is to challenge the status quo and mediocrity in politics, that is plaguing the state of Tamil Nadu,” the actor said, calling himself a “polity culturist” rather than a politician.

Kamal, who has been openly taking on the AIADMK Government on corruption and other issues, tore into the state of affairs in Tamil Nadu and ripped apart the politicians for the “apathy” shown towards fiscal deficit and managing the state’s finances.

Apart from this, the politicians have failed in managing Tamil Nadu’s treasures — its waterways — whose neglect for decades has reduced the state to a water deficit state.

“Third problem is the gradual lowering of the bar in every aspect of the society – be it in education, skilling to health care to social justice to creating employment”, Kamal said.

Speaking of his ambitious plan to remodel villages, the actor said he would make an announcement regarding the adoption of villages during his tour that begins on February 21from Rameswaram.

 “The plan is to adopt one village in every district of Tamil Nadu and we want it to be the best village ever in India, and later may be the best in the world. Why not?” Kamal asked.
 Maintaining that “a strong Tamil Nadu augurs well for a strong India”, Kamal explained how he was “pushed to such anguish and anger,” that he decided to take a plunge in politics after being 
politically active for 37 years.

 “I want to be the difference and make the difference for my people. I am not going to do it alone. You are going to help,” he told the audience.