Actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday said discussions were on for his party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM)'s political alliance and stressed it would support any bloc that would 'selflessly' think about the nation but desist from being part of 'feudal politics'.
Addressing reporters in Chennai after leading the 7th anniversary celebrations of his MNM, Haasan also welcomed the recent political entry of top Tamil actor Vijay.
Asked if the MNM will join the multi-party opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), he said, "I have already told, this is the time when you have to blur party politics and think about the nation. Anybody who thinks selflessly about the nation, my MNM will be part of it."
However, it won't join hands with those doing 'local feudal politics', he said.
Asked if he has joined the INDIA grouping, he said, "no, I haven't."
On his party's possible political alliance, he said 'discussions are on', and that any 'good news' in this regard will be communicated to the media. Not all related information can be revealed, he said.
The question was asked in the backdrop of speculations that Haasan's party was involved in alliance talks with Chief Minister M K Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The MNM had faced the 2019 LS polls and the 2021 TN assembly elections by itself but drew a blank in the hustings.
Earlier in the day, Haasan hoisted the party flag at the MNM headquarters here to mark the seventh year anniversary celebrations.
He said the party workers' 'honesty and energy' is everything and claimed he entered politics 'not due to anger but despair', as to what difficulties people have to undergo.
He said he saw it as his duty to serve the people who had given him name and fame out of their love and affection.
Haasan, who is also busy with a string of films, contended there could be 'no full-time politician'.
"There cannot be a full-time father, husband...they have to sleep, work," he said.
Claiming he had suffered losses after starting the party, Haasan however asserted 'nobody can make me leave politics', as he was determined to serve the people.
He also flayed the Centre, saying 'it has not done even 10 per cent' of what Tamil Nadu has done for its farmers.
He criticised the 'bed of nails' being laid against farmers, in an obvious reference to the government's measures on the Delhi border in the face of the farmers' agitation and said such steps are meant only for the country's enemies.
Further, he slammed the Centre on devolution of funds and the proposed delimitation exercise based on the next census, saying this may lead to shrinking of Lok Sabha seats to a state like Tamil Nadu which had implemented the population control measures effectively 'like a service to the nation'.
"We did family planning considering the nation's welfare...we are now being punished for that," he charged.
"If you want to understand our expanse, let the Centre undertake a survey on which state generates more revenue. Tamil Nadu will be in the top three states," he said.
He claimed 'only 29 paise for every rupee we pay comes back to us' but that states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh 'which have more (LS) seats' are given a lot more.
Hassan said a resident of Bihar was like his younger brother and wished him well.
"But my tiffin cannot be his snack," he said.
He alleged the Centre was not bothered about the development of the south.
