After decades of speculation, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday finally bit the bullet and announced his entry into politics as the state witnesses a political tussle within the ruling AIADMK government.
Making the grand announcement at the end of six-day meet with his supporters at Sri Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam hall, the superstar fondly called Thalaivar said that he would float his own party soon and fight the next Assembly polls.
“I will be floating my own party and contest elections in all 234 seats in Tamil Nadu,” said the veteran actor said at a fans’ meet-and-greet in Chennai.
“I did not have political ambitions when I was 45, so will I have it when I’m 68. I am not doing this for any post. But the politics has become so bad that rest of the world is laughing at us,” he added.
Stressing that the events in the state politics has shamed the people of Tamil Nadu, the actor said that the government as well as the system has to be changed.
“Democracy is in bad shape right now and all other states have been making fun of us. I will feel guilty if I don’t take this decision now. I know this is not going to be easy. I can do this only with the trust and support of the people,” he said.
According to sources, the megastar, who enjoys a demigod-like status in the state will reveal the party name, symbol and official flag on January 14.
While the announcement was welcomed by Bollywood and most political parties, some had their apprehensions about the superstar’s political acumen and BJP firebrand BJP leader even went on to call the actor an “illiterate” while predicting his failure at the hustings.
“He (Rajinikanth) is an illiterate and knows nothing about politics. He only announced he is entering politics, has no details or documents,” Swamy told the media.
“Politics requires booth management. Can his supporters do that? They only know naach-gaana. Its only media hype, people of Tamil Nadu are intelligent,” he added.
Swamy who hails from Tamil Nadu has in the past too launched similar tirades against Rajinikanth even as the top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership wooed the megastar hoping for a grand entry into Tamil politics.
Even as Rajinikanth announced that he would float his own party, the local BJP leadership said that the ultimate goal of the two was same—to end graft in Tamil Nadu, a clear indication that the BJP was willing to forge an alliance with the superstar in future.
Rajinikanth had on December 26 said that he would “reveal” his political ambitions in December 31.
His statement added fuel to the ongoing political fire in the state which has witnessed turbulence ever since the demise of former Chief Minister J Jayalalitha.
The possibility of Rajinikanth’s political entry had been doing the rounds for two decades, but the superstar only recently gave strong hints that he was ready to take the plunge.