Kamal Haasan urges MNM party cadres to work for victory in ULB polls

He asked the cadres to rise above petty differences and work hard at the grassroots so that the party candidates register thumping victories

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan on Monday made a fervent plea to his cadre to “work hard” to emerge victorious in the ensuing elections to urban local bodies by “overcoming differences” within.

He also asked his cadre to strictly follow the Covid-19 appropriate behaviour during the campaign and not to be complacent about the virus which infected him as well.

In a short video posted on his verified social media pages, Kamal Haasan said that he has recovered from Covid-19 illness and attributed his speedy recovery to the “love and affection” of the people and his cadre which was “equally important” to the medical treatment.

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Kamal Haasan spent nearly a fortnight at the Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre (SRMC) after being infected with Covid-19 following his return from the US. He was discharged on December 4, following which the actor resumed his shooting for a reality show Bigg Boss.

“Makkal Needhi Maiam has been pushing for autonomy in local bodies and was a force in taking gram sabhas to the people. We will have to work with the same vigour to taste success in the elections to town panchayats, municipalities, and corporations. Cadre should overcome differences within and fight the elections,” the MNM chief said in the video.

MNM, which projects itself as a change agent, could not post a strong performance in the 2021 assembly elections with Kamal Haasan himself losing from Coimbatore (South) constituency. The party also fared very poorly in the elections to rural local bodies in nine districts held in October.

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The defeat in the assembly elections prompted several top leaders of the MNM, including Dr R Mahendran, retired bureaucrat Santhosh Babu, and entrepreneur C K Kumaravel, to resign from the party, accusing Kamal Haasan of being “too self-centred.”

Contending that cadres are the “strength of MNM”, Kamal Haasan asked them to put in efforts to register a victory in the elections, likely to be held early next year. Asking cadre not to take Covid-19 threat “lightly”, he told them to be “vigilant” while campaigning and stressed the need to carry out the campaign by following the Covid-19 protocol.

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