In an effort to "re-imagine Tamizh Nadu", actor-politician Kamal Haasan has announced his party Makkal Needhi Maiam's (MNM) plans to generate jobs and revive the economy. Salary for housewives, stop doling of mere benefit, empower people and create an environment the promotes entrepreneurial spirit are some of the components of 'Enterprise Economy' announced by Kamal on Friday in Chennai.
Kamal, who is the president of MNM, tweeted the party's 'Vision Document - Tamizh Nadu 2021', which gives pointers of MNM’s ideas for the state and its people.
"With the centrist ideology, at MNM we are on a special mission to bring about two-fold change: Reimagining Tamizh Nadu and Revolutionising politics," he said in the document, which can be considered MNM’s first move towards the 2021-Assembly polls campaign.
Recognising the labour put in by housewives in Tamil Nadu, the Vision Document announced that housewives will be paid for the work they do in their homes. "Housewife itself is a big job and should be paid commensurately. Paying housewives for doing their job is an idea whose time has truly come and we shall ensure it," the document said.
With regard to the need to reimagine Tamil Nadu, he said rampant corruption has belittled the state's image and underutilised its potential to create a thriving economy. According to him, prosperity to every Tamilian can be achieved on the back of an 'enterprise economy' that would generate jobs.
According to the document, 'Enterprise Politics' will touch farmers, road-side vendors, self-help group participants, fishermen, small and big businessmen.
Showing Japan and Singapore as examples for prosperous countries, the MNM President said that was possible due to "visionary leaders who rose above petty politics and small interests".
According to him, an enterprise is the greatest idea ever occurred to mankind, defining the very essence of human society but Tamil Nadu seems to have missed the enterprise revolution bus.
Slamming both the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu for announcing freebies during elections, he said that the general lack of hunger and imagination fuelled by mere welfare and electoral politics has left Tamil Nadu wanting for more. He also added that the direction the state has been on, in the last few years, is worrying.
"We need to stop doling out mere benefits and empower our people with platforms to help them to achieve more via ambition and enterprise," he said.
