Veteran actor and MNM president Kamal Haasan criticise PM Narendra Modi

Kamal Haasan criticise PM Narendra Modi; asks why a new parliament building when half the country is starving?

Veteran actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media over the new parliament project for which he had laid the foundation stone recently.

‘Nayakan’ actor and MNM leader Haasan has always been critical of central government’s several policies.  He asked PM Modi what is the point of such a massive financial indulgence at a time when the country’s economy is facing severe turbulence.

“Why a 1,000-crore new Parliament when half of India is hungry, losing livelihood due to coronavirus. When thousands died as the Great Wall of China was being built, the rulers said it was to protect people. To protect whom are you building the Rs. 1,000-crore Parliament? Please answer my honourable elected PM,” Haasan tweeted.

On December 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed a ground-breaking ceremony in the heart of Delhi for the new parliament building, set to be the centerpiece of the ₹ 20,000-crore project to refurbish the Central Vista of the national capital.

The construction of the building, however, cannot begin for now since the Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the project. Last week, it accused the government of “pushing forward aggressively” with the project ahead of the top court’s decision.

The Tamil leader’s attack on the project came hours before the launch of the first phase of his poll campaign from Madurai, the city where his party was launched over two years ago.

Tamil Nadu state elections are due in May 2021, with Haasan himself likely to contest this time, making corruption, jobs, village development, and drinking water his MNM’s key planks. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party won nearly 4 per cent votes.

On December 3, Haasan’s contemporary and veteran actor Rajinikanth announced that he will launch his long-anticipated political party in January, five months before the Tamil Nadu election. He promised that the new party will bring in “spiritual secular politics” with no caste or religion.

On film front, Haasan will next be seen in S. Shankar’s multi-lingual vigilante action film ‘Indian 2’. The film is sequel to the 1996 film ‘Indian. It is being produced by Allirajah Subaskaran under the banner Lyca Productions. The script was written by Shankar, along with B. Jeyamohan, Lakshmi Saravanakumar and Kabilan Vairamuthu.

The film stars Kamal Haasan and Nedumudi Venu reprising their roles from the first film, while new cast consists of Kajal Aggarwal, Siddharth, Bobby Simha, Rakul Preet Singh and Priya Bhavani Shankar.

Haasan will also feature in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Tamil action-thriller film ‘Vikram 2’ along with Fahadh Faasil.