Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan on Tuesday criticized the State and the Center over various social and political issues that have swamped the headlines these past few days. In a press release, Kamal Haasan posed 10 questions on ten different topics which have been translated from Tamil here:

• NEET & Suicides in Tamil Nadu - How many more death will Tamil Nadu endure due to the a state government which made no efforts to bring education under state policy, to bring the central government in line with the genuine reasons to ban NEET and failed to provide adequate training and confidence  to male and female students? Is the Tamil Nadu state government trying to downplay the issue by providing financial aid?

• Kisan Scheme Fraudulence -  By failing to ensure that the financial aid reached genuine beneficiaries, is it ideal for the state government to show its corrupt face even in times when farmers have lost their basic livelihood [This is reference to the recent arrest of 7 agriculture contract employees for irregularities in implementation of the PM-KISAN Nidhi scheme in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu].

• Non-regulation of online education - Without regulating online education system and putting forward very important plans like improving the technical requirements, the government is showing lethargic attitude. What is the government going to do to regulate this?

• Corona Irregularities - With no prior warnings and no proper plans for safety measures, why has the government which asked its people to wash hands washed off (the responsibility of taking care of) its people? What answer does the government have for people who have lost their livelihood due to this Corona?

• Why so much hurry for 8-lane road? - [The 8-lane Salem-Madras Highway is a state government proposed project which has been criticized in the past for forcibly dispossessing the agriculture landowners in the process of land acquisition] Why is the government so eager to implement the 8-lane highway at a time when the farming sector which has shown 3.4% growth, even in the affected-economy due to the Corona pandemic.

• Protection of Fishermen - Fishermen are the first people to get affected due to the monsoon rain and storms. So when will the government focus on the steps for their protection and precautionary measures to ensure saftey while on the job. 

• Unemployement - What plans does the government have to recover from the never-before-seen decline in GDP history and create work opportunities?

• Why is there no pressure to the central government for acquiring GST shares of Tamil Nadu? - Without pressure from the state government, there is no way aid from the central government can be procured. Why is there hesitation to pressurize the central government into giving GST shares due to the GDP decline.

• When will the 'Amma' (reference to former Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalitha) government start closing the TASMAC shops? - For government's income, you made arrangements for grabbing money from the people even in times of Corona by opening the TASMAC shops which eats out the poor. When are you going to start closing these shops just like your Amma once said?

• Precautionary measures for Monsoon Rains - uneven roads, irregular and incomplete rainwater drainage canals, dengue scare...What have you done as a precautionary measure for these monsoon rains?