Kamal Haasan guns for TN CM's scalp, calls for freedom from corruption

Upping his ante against the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, actor Kamal Haasan on Tuesday nearly sought the resignation of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami over the alleged corruption under his regime.

"Until we get freedom from corruption we will remain a slave. All those who have guts to call for a new freedom struggle" (against corruption) "come …we will win", the actor tweeted on the Independence Day.

Taking on the AIADMK government through his twitter handle, the actor wrote: "If one state's CM should resign for a mishap & corruption under his govt. How come no party calls for resignation in TN. Enough crimes done". This is the first time the actor has directly taken on Chief Minister Palaniswami who had asked him to join politics to elicit a response from the government on his charges of corruption.

Haasan has been drawing ire of ministers for his comments alleging rampant corruption in all the government departments. Palaniswami and his cabinet colleagues had hit out at the actor, some of them even made personal, and asked him to come out with specific charges. Responding to the ministers, the actor urged his fans to lodge complaints about corruption through social media.

"My aim is a better Tamil Nadu. Who dares to strengthen my voice? DMK, AIADMK & parties R tools to help. If those tools R blunt find others'', he said in another tweet. For the first time, the actor has tweeted naming DMK as many of his critics questioned his silence over the corruption allegedly done by the main opposition party in the state.

Taking part in DMK's mouthpiece Murasoli's 75 years celebration on August 10, the actor revealed that former CM M Karunanidhi had sent him a telegram long back asking him to join his party. "I never replied to it nor discussed with anyone else about it. Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) never asked about it," he said.

Even since AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa's death, the actor has been quite active in the social media making critical comments against the ruling AIADMK government. This has given rise to the expectation that the actor might take a political plunge. Coincidentally, superstar Rajinikanth has also hinted about his political entry but maintaining stoic silence, unlike Haasan who continues to engage with the government.