Rajinikanth mocks anti-BJP front

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday mocked attempts by Opposition parties to come together to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 elections.

“If ten people come together to oppose one person, who is stronger? The ten people or the one person? It is for you to decide,” the actor told reporters outside his residence in upscale Poes Garden here. The wannabe politician did not explicitly say that Modi was stronger but took a subtle dig at the Opposition parties coming on a single platform to take on the BJP.

To repeated questions on whether he was coming to say that Modi was much stronger than the Opposition leader, Rajinikanth said it was for the people, not him, to say who is stronger than whom. “I cannot give a clearer answer than this,” he said, when a scribe sought to know whether he was supporting Modi.

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Rajinikanth was asked to clarify his remarks on Monday at the airport here where he sarcastically said if the Opposition thinks Modi was dangerous then it should be so. “The question directed at me was whether Modi was dangerous like the Opposition parties think. I answered that if 10 people think one person is dangerous, then it is true that the person must be dangerous for them,” he said.

The actor, who was criticised on social media for his comments that he has not heard about the issue relating to the release of seven convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, said he was forced to clarify since an illusion has been created about him around the issue.

“The question was not clear. In fact, I spoke to Perarivalan, one of the convicts, for ten minutes over the phone when he had come out on parole (in August 2017) and I know in detail about the case. I think the seven convicts should be released since they have already spent 27 years in jail,” Rajinikanth said.

The actor also told journalists not to seek his reaction on routine developments in the state since he has not yet entered active politics. “When I enter active politics, I will react to every issue,” he said.