Soon-to-be Neta Kamal Haasan Wants 'No Work, No Pay' Rule for MLAs

Chennai: After announcing plans of launching his own political party, veteran actor Kamal Haasan took potshots at elected representatives, saying they should also be covered under the "no work, no pay" formula.

The actor's comments came in the wake of a section of government employees and teachers striking work, with the Madras High Court pulling up the teachers for doing so.

"No work no pay only for Govt. Employees?. How about horse trading politicians languishing in resorts?," the actor said in a tweet without naming anyone.

The 'resort' remark was apparently a reference to a section of the ruling AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to 'sacked' leader TTV Dinakran shifting resorts. Following the revolt of 19 party MLAs against Chief Minister K Palaniswami, they were all initially accommodated at a resort in Puducherry. They later shifted to a resort in Coorg in Karnataka and are since staying there. One of them shifted camps to support Palaniswami later.

Incidentally, AIADMK MLAs were earlier lodged at a resort at nearby Kuvathur in February, following a split in the party when then rebel leader O Panneerselvam revolted against VK Sasikala.

In another tweet, Haasan also pleaded with the court to warn legislators "who desist from attending work." "The honourable court warns teachers on strike. I beseech the court to issue similar warnings to those MLAs who desist from attending work," he said.

On September 13, the Madras High Court had pulled up a section of Tamil Nadu government teachers who are on strike, saying it affected students.

Kamal Haasan has ended the speculation over his political entry, saying he will form his own political party as none of the existing ones can provide a platform for his "reformatory" ideology. In a recent interview to The Quint, the actor said he was thinking of launching a political party, out of compulsion and not choice.

"Yes, I am thinking on those lines, not out of choice but compulsion. Which existent political party can provide me with a platform or an ideology that will match my reformatory goals in politics?" the actor told the website.