Apologise for supporting demonetisation in a hurry: Kamal Haasan’s big retraction

The actor was one among a host of celebrities across India who had tweeted in support of demonetisation last November.

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In a surprising U-turn, actor Kamal Haasan has apologised to the people for supporting the Centre’s demonetisation policy. The actor, whose political ambitions are well-known, issued an apology in a column for Tamil magazine Vikatan.

Titled “A big apology”, Kamal writes, “I owe it to the people to apologise for supporting the plan in a hurry.” The actor was one among a host of celebrities across India who had tweeted in support of demonetisation last November. He had then tweeted to say, “Salute Mr. Modi. This move has to be celebrated across political party lines. Most importantly by earnest tax payers.”

Noting that he was not the kind of person who was afraid of apologising, Kamal went on to write that he had fully supported the Centre’s policy as he thought it was going to get rid of black money and had also thought people should bear the small inconveniences that arise out of demonetisation.

“Many of my comrades and some people who understand economics called me and criticised me for my views. Later I consoled myself saying that while the plan was good, there may have been some problems with implementation,” writes the actor.

He goes on to state that when more economists spoke out against demonetisation, he had told himself that while the intention of the policy was good, it was not practical. But with more critics raising their voice against demonetisation, Kamal said he was filled with doubt as the government did not have a strong response to the criticism.

While apologising to people for supporting the move, Ulaganayagan argues that the sign of a good leader is one who can accept that they made a mistake. “If the PM accepts his mistake without being adamant, then one more salaam is waiting for him from me. The sign of a good leader is when they can rectify their mistakes and more importantly when the can accept they made a mistake. Gandhi was able to do it, today also it is possible,” Kamal writes.

The actor’s apology comes at a time when speculation is growing about when he will make his political entry in Tamil Nadu. It also comes just weeks after he had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for several of his pet initiatives including demonetisation. In an interview to India Today’s Priyamvatha last month, Kamal Haasan when asked about his views on Modi had said, “He has tried while others only promised. That is why I went across party lines, when some of my friends who knew about my ideologies asked why did you say nice things about him. Swachh Bharat is a good idea. Demonetisation is a good idea. I am not an economist. But now there is criticism about it. Let’s see till proven guilty, we will not jump to conclusion.”

Also read: Kamal Haasan goes soft on PM Modi, calls Swachh Bharat, demonetisation ‘good ideas’