Kamal Haasan extends best wishes to BJP

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan on Friday congratulated the BJP for his massive victory in the Lok Sabha polls, but expressed joy that Tamil Nadu had bucked the national trend. The actor-politician extended his "best wishes" to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and DMK chief M K Stalin, to the latter for leading his party-led alliance to a sweep by winning 37 of the 38 seats.

Chennai: Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan Friday extended his best wishes to the BJP for its massive mandate in the Lok Sabha polls, but expressed joy that Tamil Nadu had bucked the national trend.

He also refuted allegations from some quarters that his party was a "B-team" of the BJP, saying such accusations were insulting and called his MNM "the A-team of honesty."

Addressing a press meet here, the actor-politician extended his "best wishes" to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and DMK chief M K Stalin, to the latter for leading his party-led alliance to a sweep by winning 37 of the 38 seats.

The BJP's win is the "people's verdict but I am happy that it is not the Tamil Nadu people's verdict," Haasan said.

"Tamil Nadu has spoken up. They have not followed the (national) line. They have been individualistic and have clearly stated their standpoint and they stood for Tamil Nadu.

I am proud of my people," he said.

The Modi-led BJP had swept the 16th Lok Sabha polls held in seven phases across the country, with the saffron party crossing the 300-seat mark by itself, bettering its 2014 performance.

Asked how he viewed BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's "massive win" from Bhopal, Haasan said her statement on Nathuram Godse was different and what she would do for her constituency would be different.

"Her statements are different, what she does for her constituency is different. We hope that she is a good candidate and will do something (for people)," he said.

"What she shot off as a comment is not acceptable at all," he said in an apparent reference to her describing Godse, who shot dead Mahatma Gandhi, as a "patriot", remarks which drew censure from the BJP high command itself.

She had later apologised for her remarks.

Her remarks had come in response to Haasan's earlier controversial statement that Godse was free India's first extremist and that he was a Hindu.

On his party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls, he said it has earned an average of five per cent vote share and that it was a good start.

"It is a great beginning at the kind of vertical climb we had to make at such a short time," he said.

People have recognised the party, which he described as a "14-month old child", referring to its launch in February 2018.

To a question, he said the Centre should implement projects in Tamil Nadu that would not harm agriculture.