MNM to own TV channel to enhance reach ahead of 2021 TN assembly polls

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) is all set to acquire a television channel as a vehicle to reach out to people across the state and be the voice of the actor’s 2021 Assembly election campaign, MNM vice-president R Mahendran has said.

With this, the MNM will join the list of political parties having their own TV channels in Tamil Nadu. And, it would be the latest addition to the Tamil political sky.

Putting an end to speculation about the party starting a news channel, Mahendran, a confidant of the actor, told the media after a meeting of party workers at Palayamkottai on Friday that the MNM was engaged in the process of having its own TV channel.

According to senior MNM functionaries, the party is in talks to acquire a Tamil news channel which has been facing a crisis.

When this materializes, Hassan would have stolen a march over super star Rajinikanth. Though Rajinikanth is yet to launch his party, the Rajini Makkal Mandram had registered with the Centre for a TV channel with three names – Rajini TV, Super Star TV and Thalaivar TV.

“We started talks last week, and it is almost in the final stages of completion. We are not launching a new TV channel. MNM is going to take over a Tamil news channel which is under crisis now,” said an MNM functionary.

With the acquisition of the TV channel and Kamal Hassan’s proposed state-wide tour from November 7, coinciding with the actor’s birthday, the party is making a determined bid to be an alternative to the two dominant Dravidian parties, the ruling AIADMK and the opposition DMK.

“We have strengthened our party structure by dividing it into different zones. Special general secretaries have been appointed to fine tune the organization ahead of the 2021 assembly polls,” said Mahendran.

Kamal’s party has tied up with poll guru and JD(U) vice-president Prasant Kishor to provide the necessary electoral strategies.

“We have successfully completed the Lok Sabha election and 22 state assembly by-polls in April last. Though we are just a 14-month-old party, TN people had given us a good mandate. So, we are preparing for the TNLA polls now. Kamal Haasan will launch his election tour from his birthday November 7, 2019,” Mahendran added.

In Tamil Nadu, every political party barring the left parties has a TV channel of its own.

While the DMK has Kalaignar TV, AIADMK owns News J TV.

TTV Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) owns the Jaya TV which was earlier the mouthpiece of the AIADMK while Jayalalithaa was alive.

Even marginal players like Desiya Dravida Murpoku Kazhagam (DMDK), Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a Dalit party, and Vaiko’s Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) have Captain TV, Makkal TV, Velicham TV, and Madhimugam TV respectively.

National player BJP has Lotus TV, and Congress has the support of two TV channels viz., Vasanth TV of Kanyakumari MP, H Vasanthakumar and former TNCC president K V Thangabalu’s Mega TV.