Kamal Haasan calls political colleague 'betrayer' for quitting party

Makkal Needhi Maiam party chief Kamal Haasan called Vice President R Mahendran a "betrayer" after he resigned from the party and said that the former was about to be sacked from the party anyway and expressed joy that "a weed" has removed itself out from the party.

Days after a defeat in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Mahendran on Thursday resigned from the party, alleging that "there is no democracy in the party".

In a statement, the MNM President said in his bid to bring a change to Tamil Nadu the party had faced its first Assembly elections.

"We faced our first State Assembly Elections with the sole objective of 'Re-Imagining Thamizh Nadu'. We worked to our best in the war," he said.

Kamal Haasan said that Mahendran the biggest example for the fact that democracy sometimes fails and accused that he had lied to take the faces of the people who gave him the identity.

"He claims there is no democracy in the party. He is the biggest example for the fact that democracy sometimes fails. He has lied to take the faces of the people who gave him the identity."

Haasan further said that they witnessed the fact that they faced not just opponents from the other side but also betrayers from within. "Remove the betrayers resonated the unanimous voice of the party. Dr Mahendran was on top of that list," he said.

"He tried to pre-empt his removal by resigning. Just like you, I am happy about the fact that a weed removed itself. It will be ascendancy for our party henceforth," said Kamal.

He accused Mahendran of trying to blame others for his "dishonesty and inefficiency" and gain sympathy.

Earlier on Thursday, Makkal Needhi Maiam Vice President R Mahendran resigned from the party and listed down all the reasons in a letter to Kamal Haasan that have compelled me to take this tough yet moral decision.

"With a heavy heart but a clear mind, I am resigning from the post of Vice President and as a Primary Member of the Makkal Needhi Maiam party. I have listed down all the reasons that have compelled me to take this tough yet moral decision," he said in a tweet.