Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Saturday called for a ‘Dravidian model’ of governance and development over the much-hyped ‘Gujarat model.’

Campaigning for DMK’s South Chennai candidate Thamizhachi Thangapandian in the Mylapore area on Saturday, the Makkal Needhi Maiam chief said, “People cannot always say that the Gujarat model is great, we have come to this model, which is also great (Dravidian model). Hereafter India should follow Dravidian model. Moving my chariot alone is not enough, so we have to move the chariot together…”

“If I had asked them (DMK) for this South Chennai seat, I would have got it, but I did not come here for a seat. I came here to seek votes for our sister. Don’t forget this symbol: the rising sun… It’s for our nation; we have to do our rights,” Haasan said while addressing the campaign event.

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MNM is an alliance partner of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu. In addition to MNM, a large number of party cadres from DMK’s alliance partners, including Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Communist Party of India, and Communist Party of India (Marxist), also attended the campaign event.

“These allies’ party flags are flying here because we need one flag to fly forever: our national flag,” Haasan said.

Tamil Nadu will go to polls in the first phase of the general elections on April 19. The votes will be counted on June 4.

In 2019, the DMK swept the Lok Sabha polls in the state, winning the lion’s share of the total votes polled. The DMK won all 20 seats they contested while its ruling ally, the Congress, bagged 8 seats, mining 12.9 per cent of the total votes polled, while the CPI won two seats. CPI (M) and IUML won one seat each. The remaining two seats went to Independents.

(With ANI inputs)