Kamal likens Modi to Roman king Nero, says PM nonchalant to farmers’ woes

In a sharp jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan on Tuesday (December 1) said the former was busy inaugurating projects while thousands of farmers were protesting near Delhi, just the way emperor Nero was playing the fiddle when Rome burned.

Haasan was referring to Modi’s recent visit to Varanasi to inaugurate the six-lane, 73-kilometre Varanasi-Prayagraj national highway.

Addressing the media in Chennai, Haasan demanded the Union government to hold immediate talks with the protesting farmers and resolve their issues as soon as possible.

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He also expressed his displeasure with the Tamil Nadu government over precautionary measures and relief works carried out by the government for Cyclone Nivar.

On Tuesday, former IAS officer Santhosh Babu, who voluntarily retired from the service after serving as the head of the state IT services, joined the MNM. He was appointed as the general secretary (headquarters) of the party.

Speaking to reporters, Babu said he wants to form a corruption-free government in the state.

It was rumoured that Babu had tendered his resignation over the alleged scam in the Bharatnet project.

When asked about it, he admitted that the scam was one of the triggers behind his resignation.

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Haasan who had been critical of the governance offered by the Dravidian parties in the past 50 years, however, did not rule out the possibility of an alliance with them.

“We do not want to get caught in the web of the alliance. At the same time, alliance with any party is inevitable for any political party and Makkal Needhi Maiam is not an exception,” he said.