Chennai, June 5 (IANS): Actor-cum-politician Kamal Haasan, President of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), on Friday said that Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu and it should not become the corona capital.

Speaking to reporters about 'Naame Theervu' (we are the solution) initiative of the party Kamal Haasan said it is time to put aside political differences and criticisms and work together to reduce the coronavirus infection in Chennai.

He said under the party's new initiative 'Naame Theervu', non-governmental organisations (NGO), individuals and others can register themselves by calling a phone number, and help move Chennai from the corona red zone to green zone.

"This is a movement by the people and for the people," he said.

As on Thursday, coronavirus infections in Chennai stood at 18,693.

According to him, an army of volunteers is being sought to be created to solve the problems faced by the people during the pandemic.

He said people are stepping out of their homes as the lockdown restrictions have been relaxed and protecting them now is important.

Sanitiser dispensers will be kept at places where people gather frequently. Masks will be distributed as well, Kamal Haasan said.

He said the party's initiative is not against the central or the state governments.

According to him, the situation is such that governments have to accept the assistance of NGOs and others.

He said the Karnataka, Odisha and Kerala governments have done well in containing the spread of coronavirus in their states compared to Tamil Nadu and others.

Kamal Haasan said the Kerala government partnered with NGOs in containing the virus spread.

However, he refused to answer when asked how Kerala, a small state, could be compared with Tamil Nadu as the latter has a much higher population with greater density.

The President of MNM said that the number of Covid-19 patients reported by the party volunteers working on the ground is three times the government numbers.

According to him, all the governments committed the same mistake of reporting lower infection numbers and there is no transparency in what the governments are saying.

Kamal Haasan abruptly concluded the meeting without answering whether the `Naame Theervu' programme will be extended to take up other issues at a later stage.