Amid a shocking revelation, Superstar Rajnikanth has announced his political entry with the establishment of a new party in January next year. With Tamil Nadu’s assembly elections slated for April-May, the actor’s party will come into play five months before it.
In the announcement of the contesting poll, Rajnikanth assured for a “wonder and miracle” as it is “now or never”. Expressing his confidence regarding the future alleged victory, the actor-turned-politician said that his party will stand for “spiritual secular politics” with no partialities or involvement of any “caste, creed or religion”.
The 69-year-old superstar tweeted, “We will surely win the assembly polls and give honest, transparent, corruption-free, spiritual secular politics without caste, creed or religion. A wonder and miracle will definitely happen,” followed with hashtags, “It’s now or never” and “We will change, we will change everything”.
Later in the evening, he was reported telling the media, “I am ready to sacrifice even my life for the sake of Tamil people…It is now or never.”
Though he did not mention as to whether he will be contesting in the elections or not, Rajnikanth said, “If I win it will be the people’s victory, if I lose it will be their defeat.”
After years of speculation revolving around the actor’s much anticipated political interest, his announcement came 3 days post his discussion with the senior office bearers of Rajini Makkal Mandram.
In a statement outside his Poes Garden home, he told media that his district office bearers have brought out their opinions in the matter as gave their word to whatever decision the actor takes.
In October, Rajnikanth had taken to social media where he said that he was uncertain about entering politics due to his health condition. The news was further ignited when a letter, which was claimed to have been written by Rajinikanth, was leaked.
Though unverified, the letter directed towards the advice given by doctors to the actor for restricting his movement in view of his renal transplant. There were also mentions of him being more vulnerable to covid-19 because of the surgery, including that the only solution for him could be a vaccine, which again doesn’t have solid evidence of getting accepted by his body.
Post the letter’s arrival, the actor clarified though he would make the announcement at an “appropriate time”, it contained some truth, “The letter is not mine but the information on my health and doctors’ advice is true.”
Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan, another actor turned politician famous for his roles in Bollywood movies like Chachi 420, etc., are expected to be the top of the heap contestants for the upcoming elections of Tamil Nadu.
The April-May polls will hold the significance of its own as the battleground of Tamil Nadu has empty spots left behind with the death of the state’s most powerful and popular politicians- J Jayalalithaa of AIADMK party and MK Karunanidhi of DMK.
Rajnikanth, an extremely popular and respected actor especially in the South, holds a fan base that is beyond anyone else’s in the country.
It is speculated that his 1996’s words against Jayalalitha is what lost AIADMK the elections of that year. He had said, “If Jayalalithaa is voted back, even God cannot save Tamil Nadu.”
Rajnikanth’s announcement of a party and his sudden political inclination will probably affect the AIADMK’s partnership with BJP as the latter is viewing the actor as a more beneficial ally.
Former Home Minister K. Chidambaram, however, posted a tweet questioning whether the alliance of Tamil Nadu’s ruling party and BJP still exists after the announcement. “Will BJP clarify?” the Congress leader asked.
With no major recognition in Tamil Nadu, the BJP urgently requires a face to back them. Though Rajnikanth has the face and fan following, he isn’t a part of any organization that can help him transform these fans into voters.
In a bid to lure him into the party, BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi welcomed the actor into politics, “Rajinikanth’s views are similar to the BJP’s. We would appeal to him to support us”.
Despite his meetings with the top leaders of BJP and his strong public opinions supporting Narendra Modi’s statements and ideologies, the actor in the past many years have repeatedly refused to get involved in politics.
After scrapping of Article 370, Rajnikanth compared the duo of Modi and Shah to “Krishna and Arjuna” of Mahabharat, saying that parties shouldn’t get into politics when the subject of national security comes into the picture.
