Chennai: Makkal Needs Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan on Monday said any country that ‘does not respect agriculture will fall’, even as he released an alleged rate card of bribes which are collected in various government offices across the State.
He released a 17-item list of various government services including issuance of birth certificates, issuance of community certificates, registration of lands and issuance of death certificates.
Kamal said, “This is the tariff card of the bribes collected in various government offices and it is a very open truth among the public. All of these are being remitted by every citizen without any choice in the State.”
Speaking about farmers, he said, they were ‘annadaata’.
Kamal, who earlier deputed a party delegation to express solidarity with the agitating farmers near the National capital, said, ‘A country that does not respect agriculture will fall. I believe that should not happen to our country. They (farmers) are the annadata (providers of food)’.
He was responding to a question on the more than a month-long farmers’ protest in Delhi, where ryots mainly from Punjab and Haryana have held ground demanding repealing of Centre’s three farm laws.
To a question on actor Rajinikanth, who was discharged from a Hyderabad hospital on Sunday after being treated for blood pressure fluctuations, Kamal wished him good health, saying that was more important.
Asked if the superstar, who is slated to launch his political party next month, will come forward to join hands with him, Kamal only said ‘we have done so forty years ago’, in an apparent reference to their working together in many movies.
Haasan added ‘it is not necessary that friendship should go away’ if they entered politics.
Earlier, the two had hinted at working together in the field of politics.
To a question, he indicated his party might lead a ‘third front’ in the state for the 2021 Assembly elections, likely to be held in April-May next year.
Matters like chief ministerial candidate have to be discussed with other probable partners, he added.
When asked about the actor highlighting late chief minister and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran in his election speeches, ruffling the feathers of the ruling party, and if he will also recall others like the late DMK president M Karunanidhi, the actor-politician said he will ‘do so at the appropriate time’.
The MNM chief also released what he claimed was a ‘bribe list’ to be paid for various government services in the state such as providing birth certificate and driving licence.