In Velachery, Baasha actor in fray to fight graft

CHENNAI: In January 2011, actor, HR consultant and motivational speaker Raja Krishnamoorthy, better known as Kitty, saw some shops were coming up illegally at a major intersection in Valmiki Nagar.
“I felt someone had to step in and do something. It took me four-and-a-half months but we managed to stop the construction. I wrote eight petitions -to the CMDA, chief minister's office, minister of local administration, police commissioner and panchayat office.Finally , the BDO sealed the place. That was momentous,” he recalls.
It was also the moment that Kitty, a well-known face thanks to his impressive performances in Tamil films and TV , says he was “spurred into action."
Among his memorable performances are his role as the father of the character Kamal Haasan plays in Nayakan, and the police commissioner in Rajinikanth-starrer Baasha.
“I discovered, there are many interesting, committed people within the system too," he says. After this, he embarked on a personal 'beach campaign' to spread the message of anti-corruption. “I would go to the beach, meet people and draw posters. It was a spontaneous energizing of people,” he says.
Kitty was part of the India Against Corruption movement in 2012. In 2014, he was offered a chance to contest in the Lok Sabha election by Aam Aadmi Party , but declined.
This year, Kitty plans to contest the TN assembly election as an independent candidate from Velachery. Through his “walk and talk“ campaign, this longtime resident of South Chennai will meet people in their homes, at the beach and in public places to convey his message of transparency and accountability .
His poll promises, he says, are “practical, improvement and efficiency-oriented. We will not promise the sky,” he says.
His draft manifesto includes employability training programmes, citizen's awareness programmes on how to maintain public infrastructure, garbage segregation, following traffic rules and improving green cover in the area.