Tamil Nadu’s Co-operatives Minister Sellur Raju on Sunday dared Tamil stars Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth to join the ruling AIADMK. His ‘invitation’, however came with a rider.
Speaking to reporters in Madurai, Sellur Raju on Sunday said, “Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan can join AIADMK if they want to do service for the people. They can point out the issues in the party after they join the AIADMK.”
Sellur Raju’s statement is the latest in a series of jibes by ministers in the Edappadi Palaniswami-led government on Kamal Haasan, who had accused the present administration of corruption.
On Sunday, the party mouthpiece Namadhu Dr MGR published a front-page story titled, “Kamal Haasan in Trishanku’s heaven”. Hitting out at the actor, the article observes that Kamal Haasan does not understand that speaking out against the government will affect him later, The Hindu.
Cautioning Haasan, it goes on to add, “He should realise that the parties that voice support for him will leave him in the lurch in due course of time.”
The Namadhu Dr MGR articles comes after DMK Working President MK Stalin defended Kamal stating that every voter had the right to criticise the ‘benami’ and ‘horse-trading’ government. Former Chief Minister and AIADMK (PTA) leader O Panneerselvam also supported Kamal by saying that everyone in a democracy has the right to express their views.
Seemingly frustrated by the state of affairs in Tamil Nadu, Kamal Haasan had on Wednesday hinted at joining politics in the state in a series of cryptic tweets. He also urged fans and others to email complaints against corruption to ministers.
While Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami had on Saturday dared the actor to join politics and said he would then give him a befitting reply, Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani had challenged Kamal Haasan to prove the existence of corruption in the government and also asked if he was ready share the details of taxes paid by his movies. He had also threatened to probe the actor’s tax history, to find evidence of wrongdoing.
Superstar Rajinikanth had also hinted at joining politics in May. Speaking to fans during his interaction with them, the superstar had called the system “rotten” and said it needed a revamp. He, however, told his supporters to “come back when it’s time for the war.”