Raising his voice against voters accepting money for vote, film star Kamal Haasan on Friday said if a citizen accepts money for this purpose "you will only get a thief as your leader".
"I am not bothered who is or which party is giving (money), but should not the one accepting (it) be ashamed," he told a Tamil TV channel in Chennai.
One would forfeit the locus standi to question a minister for non-performance or accuse a politician of corruption as accepting cash for vote itself is a similar act, he said.
"If you accept (money) then you will only get a thief as a leader," he said responding to a question on voters being lured with money during elections.
Haasan said people should have a sense of "my house, my country" and added that politicians who give money will not address concerns of the people who accept it.
"You don't accept (money), then you can question the politicians," he said.
Elections in Tamil Nadu have always been under the scanner for bribes offered to people by political parties. It was in a by-election in 2009 in Thirumangalam that the trend was first noticed. Ever since then, political parties have been caught redhanded of bribing voters with money and goodies. This time too the Election Commission has already seized many crores of unaccounted money from the state.
News, views and interviews- Follow our election coverage.
Click TN Election Special
Click Kerala Election Special