India / Will make Madurai TN's 2nd capital if elected to power: Kamal Haasan

Chennai: Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) supremo Kamal Haasan on Sunday vowed to take forward MGR’s dream and make the temple town of Madurai, the second capital of Tamil Nadu when his party comes to power.

“It was the dream of Purachithalaivar MGR to establish Madurai as the second capital of Tamil Nadu. We will take forward this dream,” the actor-turned-politician promised ahead of the 2021 assembly polls.

Taking potshots at the ruling AIADMK, as well as the DMK, that have been ruling the state since 1967, Haasan said that the degradation of Madurai, once the capital of ancient Pandian Kingdom, is an example of their governance. “We will transform Madurai,” he said.

Assembly elections are due during April-May 2021 in Tamil Nadu.

It was the dream of Purachithalaivar MGR to establish Madurai as the second capital of Tamil Nadu. We will take forward this dream: Kamal Haasan, Makkal Needhi Maiam pic.twitter.com/22Ph2kwuV6

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2020

In a tweet earlier today, Kamal Haasan demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spell out the rationale behind constructing a new Parliament building for about Rs 1,000 crore “when half of India is hungry due to coronavirus pandemic triggered loss of livelihoods”.

Likening the Parliament construction of the new edifice to the centuries old Great Wall of China, he claimed that ‘thousands of people perished’ during its construction, but the dragon nation rulers said the wall was to ‘guard’ the people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a new Parliament building on December 10. He also performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the structure, which is expected to be completed by 2022.