Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 27 (ANI): The official website of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party headed by actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has been hacked, said party on Friday.

The party also denied reports of its merger with Congress, claiming that its website was hacked.

Taking to Twitter, the MNM said, "Miscreants had hacked MNM website. We will bravely respond to those, who are well versed in stifling the democratic forces."Earlier, the MNM's official website stated that the party has decided to merge with Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The statement read, "The year 2023 is going to be crucial for India because this is the year when we must make final preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha election - which is the final battle to save the soul of India. The year started with Kamal Haasan joining the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, where the two towering intellectuals also had a deeply intellectual conversation that was released on YouTube. Kamal Haasan was very impressed with Rahul Gandhi's intellect and commitment to save India, and has been thinking his next moves ever since he returned after meeting the former Congress President.""After various rounds of discussions and deliberations within Makkal Needhi Maiam, it has been decided that not just Haasar, but all of us are with Rahul Gandhi in his attempts to save India, the South Asian Union of States. We have taken a crucial decision today, a day after we celebrated our Republic Day," it further said.

"The general public and media are hereby informed that Makkal Needhi Maiam has decided to merge itself with Indian National Congress. The formal merger will take place on January 30, 2023 - the day Mahatma Gandhi was killed by a Hindutva fanatic - in Delhi at Raj Ghat in presence of both Kamal Haasan and Rahul Gandhi," the statement further reads.

"On January 30 - we will bring Bapu back from the dead to fight Hindutva. That is the message," it said.

"We further hope that other parties will follow Makkal Needhi Maiam and merge themselves with Indian National Congress so that the party becomes strong and big enough to defeat Bhartiya Janata Party. if different ideologies could come together to form Janata Party to defeat Indira Gandhi, there is no reason why parties of almost similar ideologies can't merge together to defeat the Bhartiya Janata Party," it said.

"If different ideologies could come together to form Janta Party to defeat Indira Gandhi, there is no reason why parties of almost similar ideologies can't merge together to defeat Bhartiya Janta Party,"Rahul Gandhi said welcoming the decision of Makkal Needhi Maiam.

"Ever since Rahul Gandhi said that he had killed Rahul Gandhi, I wanted to do something similar. Today Makkal Needhi Maiam has killed Makkal Needhi Maiant and we are all Congress," Kamal Haasan said.

Earlier on January 25, Kamal Haasan, who has extended support to Congress-DMK alliance candidate EVKS Elangovan in the Erode East bypolls, said why he should not expect an MP ticket from Congress.

Kamal Haasan said that his party will lend support to the Congress candidate in the Erode East bye-election.

Pertinent to mention, Kamal Haasan joined Rahul Gandhi in Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi last month.

The development comes after Elangovan met Haasan in his Alwarpet office on January 23 and sought his support for the bypolls. After having a discussion with MNM executive members, Kamal Haasan announced the decision to support the Congress candidate. (ANI)