How Kamal Haasan's Congress tilt may impact politics in Tamil Nadu

On December 24, 68-year-old Kamal Hasan once again got national attention when he participated in Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in New Delhi

In Tamil Nadu, cinema and politics are believed to have an umbilical cord connection, with Kollywood contributing tall leaders like M G Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi, and J Jayalalithaa to the state’s political landscape.

Even Chief Minister M K Stalin had acted in movies like Ore Raththam (1987) and Makkal Aanayittal (1988) in key roles.

Hence, when one of the industry’s biggest superstars, Kamal Haasan, launched his political outfit called Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), expectations were high. However, even after four years, he could not make his mark in the electoral battlefield, earning only around a 3.7 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, and it further came down to 2.8 per cent in Assembly elections of 2021.
 

However, on December 24, the 68-year-old actor once again got national attention when he participated in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in New Delhi. This led to speculation that the MNM might become part of the DMK-led alliance, in which the Congress is a key constituent.

“Many people ask me why I am here. I am here as an Indian. I had various ideologies and started my own political party but when it comes to the country, all party lines have to blur. I blurred that line and came here,” the veteran actor said. Haasan’s father, D Srinivasan, was a freedom fighter and Congressman.

Though Haasan and his party leaders like State Secretary Senthil Arumugam are trying to scotch any chances of joining the alliance, experts indicate the participation has opened up a new communication channel between the MNM and the DMK-led tabernacle.

“Even if he secures a seat for himself or a few seats, it will work well for the party,” said Ramu Manivannan, former head of the department of politics and public administration, University of Madras.

Haasan is a self-proclaimed rationalist and is believed to have pro-Left feelings. Since the launch of his party, he has followed a “centrist” approach, maintaining an equal distance from the DMK, AIADMK, Congress, and BJP. There comes the question why he is not winning elections.
 

Among the reasons political experts indicate include less connection with people, lack of party democracy, failure in raising political issues, and Haasan’s continued focus on movies. A former top-level leader of the party, who played a key part in one of its election drives, told Business Standard there was an offer from the DMK to join its fold even during the 2021 elections, which the party had rejected.
 

“Had that decision been taken, the MNM would have got several MLAs. You should take up public issues and come up with your viewpoint on that. I think it was limited to a few tweets by Kamal Haasan. I did not see any such serious thoughts, as no one discussed politics there,” the person said. Some political stands were communicated to party leaders through tweets only, he added. Arumugam told Business Standard, “Kamal sir (Haasan) is against any personality-centric cult. He is our face in public similar to Stalin for the DMK, Jayalalithaa for the AIADMK during her prime, and Narendra Modi for the BJP. But it doesn’t mean there is only one leader.”
 

The party was also facing a fund crunch during the 2021 elections, sources said. Since the 1990s, the only successful entry into politics was that of “Captain” Vijayakanth, whose Desiya Dravida Munporku Kazhakam (DMDK) won the highest number of seats (29) after the AIADMK in the 2011 polls. However, Vijayakanth got only a minor vote share of 0.43 per cent in the 2021 elections.
 

Current-generation superstar Vijay too is trying his luck in politics through All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam and had won 68 per cent of the seats it contested (115 out of 169) in the local body elections held in 2021. Vijay is reportedly the highest-paid actor in South India. His success is compared with the MNM, which could not win even a single seat of the 140 district panchayat wards and 1,381 panchayat union wards in the local body polls.
 

“We don’t play the caste card. We take a stand on a case-to-case basis only. The concept called ‘centrism’ is being shown now. We are in a budding stage,” Arumugam added, when asked for the reasons why the MNM is not becoming a success in elections.