I am also a dravidian, says Kamal Haasan

Change. They want me to be the agent of change. I truly believe we are. People know all the shenanigans of politicians. They are aware that they were pushed into squalor and poverty by avaricious politicians.

You saw it. This is replicated throughout TN. The enthusiasm and personal communication we have with the public are so resounding and reassuring.

The toothless Lokayukta will have to be reconstructed so that everybody will have a sword of Damocles hanging over their head, including mine. I want all my MPs and MLAs to be accountable. And they (the corrupt) should be retrenched and thrown out by the people, and not by a leader who rules like a tyrant.

It is wrong to simply call them Dravidian parties. I’m a Dravidian and my party too is. I’m against no Dravidian party or community or religion. I am against looting. I am against this insincerity and lack of earnestness in the public office.

Both the media and the public have taken life for granted. You have wads and wads of notes caught in a house (by the I-T department). They must be out of this election. We want to sue them and see to it that thieves like these are thrown out of the public office. It is the poor people’s money (after all).

I am not saying one party is angelic and another demonic. I am only asking them not to divert the argument by saying they are targeting only us. What about the money found? Whose money is it? Is he not a thief? A thief should repent. Instead, he is saying that there is a bigger thief. We will make the vicious circle virtuous. We will make the wheel turn. It has happened in history. It will happen again.

No. This is not about who will be the PM. We are not playing that game. We know who to knock out. That doesn’t mean we have only two choices. There are lateral thinkers who will demand the third option. We will give it to the nation. We want to talk about TN and the voice of the State must be heard in Parliament. That is why we are in this election.

I am contesting the polls. Every face (of my party) is mine. I am taking it upon myself. If I had contested, I could have easily taken two seats. I could have stood like Mr Rahul Gandhi. I think that itself is deceit. If you stand in two places and relinquish one, what happens to the promise you have given to Wayanad or Amethi? I think that is not fair. I could have got two seats and still, I could have called a fantastic party for the first time. I want much more and I am not going to settle for just two seats. My destination, endeavour and trajectory are towards TN.

You will see. There are only a few days more. You will see there is no impact from that.

I will tell you why they should not vote for other parties. What alternative have they promised all these 50 years? Both of them have taken turns cheating us. Throw them out and give a chance to a new party which says we will walk out if you find we are not effective. How many parties say that?

You see some people are accusing us (of our party having more film industry professionals than politicians). There was a magazine reporter who asked, “is it because of your cinema that there are more film personalities in the party than proper politicians”. Let me tell you the DMK has more film people than the MNM. The party president’s son Udhayanidhi himself is an actor. Soon, TN will realise Stalin is not a great leader like his father. That is being proven by the day.

It uses a personality. But it won’t be driven by a personality forever. We need a kickstart. The first spark from such a big engine is enormous. So, I am giving my shoulder, giving my energy and giving my stardom to withstand the spark from the new party. It has been done before. MGR and NTR did it. And I am giving it. The only thing is it won’t be driven by me. The reason is I did not come when I am 40. I am entering when I am 63.

There was a vacuum when Kamarajar died. There was a vacuum when MGR passed away. It will be quickly filled with eligible and worthy people. We think we are eligible.

The disgruntled in TN who have had enough are my voters and that would be more than 60 per cent.

I am telling you and I am not harking back to the past to accuse or return an insult. I am telling you this is not an insult but foretelling. I am telling you when the balance tilt towards the BJP, these people will sell their horses in Delhi saying that they were doing that for the nation.

When they began, it was a promising set of assurances. Then their implementation and their trajectory absolutely changed tracks. They were keen on taking the judiciary over and they were behaving as if they were seeking absolute power. An absolute majority is very dangerous even in a democracy.

This kind of monoculture and monotheism will fail. People’s will has always succeeded and we hope that we have not wasted time on such puppetry. We will not allow it any more.

I am grateful for those who left on their own because they deserve to leave. I am very thankful for the party for detecting the detractors in time and we have removed them. We will take further action.

My trajectory and destination are to make TN great. I see myself marching to the fort. The next step will be to clean the fort and make the national flag fly there with all its tricolour.

Probably he is a stutterer and not able to explain what he wanted. I chat with every new candidate. He was an executive committee member. I try and reach out to even new members and talk to them. Tell me how many people have continuously dined with their party leader. Can the AIADMK say that of Jayalalithaa? We dine together like the supper of Jesus Christ, except it is not the last supper.