In yet another episode of setback for Kamal Haasan, his party's General Secretary has resigned on Wednesday by labelling the actor-turned-politician as an autocratic leader. The resignation has come in the line with what has become a mass quitting from the party over dissent and dissatisfaction, after a debacle in the recently-held assembly polls. 

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) General Secretary M Muruganandam has resigned from the party on Wednesday by leaving a shocking statement against the party's founder and chief Kamal Haasan. While addressing the reporters in Trichy concerning his resignation, Muruganandam said that the present undemocratic environment prevailing in the party had forced him to step down from the basic membership. 

He said that the resignation has come into immediate effect and he further stated that he had been given a free hand to function when he had joined the party. It had helped him work to his fullest capacity to develop the party. However, he said that the party has scattered into pieces after the election debacle, which was the output of a bad alliance with the weakest political parties in the state. 

Muruganandam said, "Party members were shocked when most of the seats were given to alliance partners without consulting anyone. The clarification from Kamal Haasan that the party did not have enough candidates to contest in all the constituencies was painful. Many party workers who had worked day and night for the party were denied an opportunity." He further claimed that the party had upheld equality initially but it was reduced to praising one man during the assembly polls. 

He slammed Kamal Haasan that the actor turned politician is functioning in an autocratic manner and acting on the instructions of his advisors and members of Sankhya Solutions - a poll management company that his party has hired. Muruganandam stated that Sankhya Solutions had interfered in the party's affairs which had led to the party's failure in the Tamil Nadu polls. 

According to reports, over 2,000 party members had quit the party on Wednesday following Muruganandam's resignation. The high-level drama in Kamal Haasan's party is expected to continue with more resignations and setbacks. Makkal Needhi Maiam is getting eroded with back-to-back resignations from top leaders. Earlier, Kamal's closest aide and party's vice-president Mahendran had quit the party by citing the lack of democracy. 

Kamal Haasan had called Mahendran a traitor. However, the actor's statement didn't help yielding support but it further had collapsed the party with the stepping down of popular faces including former IAS Officer Santhosh Babu and Environmental activist Padma Priya. Though both of them had cited personal reasons for their exit, the reports close to the developments had said they were unhappy about Kamal Haasan's leadership and the same tone has echoed from Muruganandam, who resigned from the party on Wednesday. 

Some of the top-level members had earlier expressed their dissents over the lack of transparency and accountability in the party, which is not even five years old. Kamal Haasan wasn't active and wasn't largely seen in recent times after the election defeat and the events of the setback displayed a major divide in the party and a need for introspection and an overhaul.