2 More Leaders Quit Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam, More exits likely

CHENNAI:

Kamal Haasan Party Leaders: The exit of top leaders of actor Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) has begun and expected to continue, say party insiders. On Thursday, MNM General Secretary and retired IAS officer Santhosh Babu announced his resignation from his post and the party's primary membership.

"Dear friends, Good afternoon! It's with a heavy heart that I am informing you that I am resigning my post and membership from Makkal Needhi Maiam. My decision is due to personal reasons. I thank Kamal Sir and our team for their affection and friendship," Babu said in a tweet.

Similarly, Padma Priya, MNM's State Secretary (Environment Wing) tweeted her resignation from the party post and the primary membership for personal reasons.

"Some more are expected to quit next week. After the defeat of the party and his own in the Coimbatore (South) seat, Kamal was not ready to fix the problem but bent on fixing persons," an MNM insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IANS.

The quitting of the two has raised the question whether the MNM is suffering from Thursday jinx?

On May 6, a Thursday, the party's Vice President R. Mahendran announced his decision to quit his post and the party, saying that from June 2020 onwards, the multi-faceted MNM was being converted into a fan club.

The MNM had attracted many people who had made their name and fame in different sectors.

"We joined the MNM as it seemed different from other parties. As a new party, it offered lateral entry for many, unlike other established parties like the DMK and the AIADMK," the official said.

"Till February 2021, Kamal was fine but after March, he was a different person. All were shocked to see that Kamal was more focussed on his own victory from Coimbatore (South) constituency than that of the party as a whole," the official said.

The MNM suffered a rout in the recently-concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with Kamal Haasan himself losing the poll in Coimbatore (South).

According to party insiders, Kamal Haasan was not ready to accept the reality and many are not seeing any future in the party.

The one common view was that the party was not to be seen after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and did not contest in the local body elections.

Parachuting into Fort St George and occupying the Chief Minister's seat may only happen in movies and not in real life, was the common view.

One of the common complaints voiced against Kamal Haasan was that he was not willing to discuss issues with the party officials while expecting them to execute his orders.

"A political party is not a proprietary firm. In a party, everyone is a stakeholder and issues have to be deliberated," the official added.

In his resignation letter, Mahendran recalled how the suggestion made to Kamal Haasan to contest in Chennai or in two seats - Coimbatore (South) and in Chennai was ignored. (IANS)

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