Reporter’s Diary: MNM office-bearers upset over boycott of local body elections

Ever since the launch of his party in February 2018, actor and MNM founder Kamal Haasan began his political innings by flagging the importance of gram sabhas in a democracy and urging his supporters to take part in these meetings in large numbers.

Even at the party launch event in Madurai, he announced his decision to adopt villages and develop them into model ones.

Haasan also participated in a grama sabha meeting at a village in Tiruvalluvar district last year and interacted with villagers in various districts through video conference this year.

Now, the office-bearers of the MNM are upset with the party’s decision to boycott the rural local body polls to be held in two phases on December 27 and 30.

After doing a lot of groundwork at the village level in the last two years, some office-bearers expressed their displeasure to stay away from the polls.

Not only the party’s office-bearers and cadre the netizens on social media also questioned the actor-political decision to boycott the polls, which is being held after a delay of three years.

Some even cited the courage of actor-politician and DMDK founder Vijayakanth, who allowed his fans to contest the local body polls in 2001 even before launching his political party.