Kamal Haasan does a U-turn on his demonetisation remark, says supported 'Modi govt move' in a hurry

Actor Kamal Haasan has apologised to people for earlier supporting the withdrawal of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from circulation. [caption id=“attachment_4154859” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of actor Kamal Haasan. AFP[/caption]

In an article in Tamil magazine Vikatan, Haasan said that he had earlier supported the Narendra Modi government’s move “in a hurry”.

“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,” Haasan wrote in Tamil in the article, a translation of which was also available in The News Minute. “If the PM accepts his mistake without being adamant, then one more salaam is waiting for him from me," Haasan further wrote. The actor had earlier supported demonetisation, saying that the “move has to be celebrated across political party lines.”

Salute Mr. Modi. This move has to be celebrated across political party lines. Most importantly by earnest tax payers.

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) November 9, 2016

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday had lowered India’s growth projection to 6.7 percent in 2017, 0.5 percentage points less than its previous two forecasts and slower than China’s 6.8 percent, attributing it to demonetisation and introduction of the GST. It had also lowered India’s growth for 2018 to 7.4 percent, 0.3 percentage points less than its previous two projections in July and April. With inputs from PTI