Chennai: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan said that saffron has its place in the national flag but it should not spread all over it, in a remark interpreted as an attack on the BJP and Hindutva forces.
"Even the Indian national flag has saffron. But it (the colour) should not spread all over the flag is what I am saying," said Kamal, President of newly-formed political party Makkal Needhi Maiam.
In his latest column in a Tamil weekly magazine Ananda Vikatan, Kamal said he has not insulted the saffron band on the tricolour -- which signifies courage and sacrifice.
Citing national leaders who fought for freedom, he said they had differed with each other but stood united to fight for the same goal, adding that this lesson should not be lost.
He said for the success of Indian democracy, one cannot forget the contributions of B.R. Ambedkar and Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer in drafting our Constitution.
On the core political philosophy, Kamal said he does not want to be tied down to the narrow confines of any single 'ism'.
"All 'isms' are for social reform. And it cannot be said all have succeeded. It cannot be agreed that a book written in some corner of the world will suit the whole world," Kamal said.
According to him, one cannot equate Socrates' Democracy with that of (US President Donald) Trump's democracy as both are "different creatures".
Kamal also said he met fellow actor Rajinikanth secretly near here -- at the latter's "Kaala" movie shoot -- and told him about his plans to float the party.
Kamal said both agreed to maintain dignity in their political career and not indulge in the usual acrimonial politics.
On meeting DMK President M. Karunanidhi, Kamal said the veteran leader is his Tamil Guru and "he wished me good in my political journey with a smile".
Kamal who also met DMDK leader A. Vijayakant, another Tamil movie hero turned politician, said he has not changed and continues to be the same old 'Viji'.
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New Delhi, Nov 21: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday launched the Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) Nandini brand milk products in the Delhi-NCR market, pricing them marginally lower than competitors to gain a foothold in the region.
The cooperative will retail four cow milk variants, curd, and buttermilk from Friday, with competitive pricing that undercuts established players like Mother Dairy and Amul.
Cow milk will be sold at Rs 56 per litre, full Cream Milk at Rs 67 per litre, Standardised Milk at Rs 61 per litre, Toned Milk at Rs 55 per litre, and curd at Rs 74 per kg.
"We have surplus milk in the state. KMF along with Mandya Milk Union will market surplus milk of 3-4 lakh litres per day in Delhi-NCR," Siddaramaiah told reporters after launching the products.
The federation currently collects 100 lakh litres of milk daily, with local consumption at 60 lakh litres, leaving a surplus of 40 lakh litres for expansion into new markets.
However, the Chief Minister acknowledged the challenges of transporting milk over 2,500 km, which takes 50-54 hours.
There is a need to find new markets for surplus milk and gradually the KMF should be able to sell 5-6 lakh litres per day in Delhi-NCR, he added.
KMF Chairman LBP Bheemanaik assured that milk quality would be maintained during transit.
The federation has already partnered with 40 dealers in the Delhi-NCR region to facilitate sales, he added.
With a robust infrastructure of 26.76 lakh milk producers, 15,737 dairy cooperative societies, and 15 district milk unions, KMF has a turnover of Rs 25,000 crore and exports dairy products to over 25 countries.
State Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh and Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy were present at the product launch.
ದೇಶದ ಹಾಲು ಉತ್ಪಾದನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗುಜರಾತ್ ಮೊದಲ ಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೆ, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಎರಡನೇ ಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿದೆ.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 21, 2024
ದೆಹಲಿ ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆ.ಎಂ.ಎಫ್ ಮತ್ತು ಮಂಡ್ಯ ಹಾಲು ಒಕ್ಕೂಟಗಳು ಸೇರಿಕೊಂಡು ವಿವಿಧ ಶ್ರೇಣಿಯ ಹಾಲನ್ನು ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆಗೆ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಿವೆ. ದೆಹಲಿಯ ನಿವಾಸಿಗಳಿಂದ ನಂದಿನಿ ಉತ್ಪನ್ನಗಳಿಗೆ ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಸ್ಪಂದನೆ ದೊರೆಯಲಿದೆ ಎಂಬ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ ನನಗಿದೆ.… pic.twitter.com/yUmTQknGzD