War of words between Kamal Hasan and Jayalalitha

Chennai: The heavy rain clouds may have moved away from Chennai and the deluge now steadily and surely receding but there is a new cloud of criticism looming over the government's insufficient response during the recent floods. Accusations of the government not doing enough, and in time, are being heard from various quarters.

The latest war of words is being played out between the cine icon Kamal Hasan and the Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha. Kamal Hasan accused the Jayalalitha governement of having failed miserably in coming to the aid of those affected in the recent deluge and added that the entire government machinery had totally crumbled.

Jayalathitha's finance minister O.Pannerselvam rose to defend his master and said that it was Kamal Hasan who was being used as a puppet by certain people for their own political mileage.

What has the government done for me and my people questioned Kamal and wondered in what way has the government come to the financial aid of the people. Where has all the tax money that I and several people had paid to the government gone he quipped.

Not giving much weight to Kamal's criticism, the government responded sarcastically saying that natural disasters are not things that are managed by a song or a dance...