Naidu told me to focus on welfare: Kamal Haasan

VIJAYAWADA: With Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu sending good wishes to Kamal Haasan at the announcement of his new political party, speculations have begun in AP political circles over the integration of anti-BJP forces on a single platform in south India. 

As Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan has already thrown in a demand that development should be based on the population ratio, actor-turned politician Kamal Haasan has also come up with a similar demand, according to sources close to Kamal Haasan from Telugu political and industry circles. 

There is a possibility of ‘South Tsunami’, said a retired bureaucrat. Two Cabinet ministers have reportedly proposed the need for anti-BJP parties to emerge as a single force in the South. It may be recalled that Kamal Haasan in a TV channel interview, in the month of November, had stated that he was a fan of And-hra Pradesh Chief Mini-ster Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu. “Mr Kamal Haasan has been following the functioning of our leader since a long time and he has always admired the style of functioning and commitment of the Mr Naidu,” said a senior leader from Rayalaseema. 

Though the TD chief has not said anything over his party’s alliance with the BJP, it seems that the prevailing environment in south India has been prompting all the prominent south Indian leaders to emerge as a ‘South Tsunami,’ observed the leader.

Though the Mr Naidu was busy with the Cabinet meeting and other administrative work on Wednesday, the TD senior leaders have been briefing Mr Naidu regularly about developments in Tamil Nadu and Kamal Haasan’s new political party. 

“Kamal Haasan has na-med his party as Makkal Needhi Mayyam-‘Justice for the people’ which is the line of the TD,” another Cabinet minister said and added that the southern political developments will certainly send signals to the Centre over the union of like-minded political parties as a single force, in the days to come.

He said Mr Naidu spoke to him on Tuesday night and advised him to prepare a list of public welfare initiatives rather than spelling out policies.