Rajinikanth to float his political party in January 2021

He said he will announce the date of the launch of his political party on December 31, 2020

Six months before Tamil Nadu goes to its most crucial Assembly elections in recent times, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Thursday announced that he will launch his political party in January next year, declaring that the time has come to "change the state’s fate".

The announcement not just ends the decades-long suspense over his political entry, but also makes the contest for the 2021 Assembly elections interesting. It makes the polls a crowded affair with too many players vying for the hot seat at Fort St George, the seat of power of the Tamil Nadu government.

Rajinikanth, who will turn 70 on December 12, promises to usher in "spiritual politics" which he says is "clean and corruption-free governance" but his critics view it as a "soft version" of Hindutva, espoused by the BJP. The speculation that the BJP is behind Rajinikanth’s political entry – the saffron party’s every move to make inroads into the Dravidian land has so far failed -- gained credence with the actor appointing Ra Arjunamurthy, who was the head of Tamil Nadu BJP’s intellectual wing until Wednesday, as his new party’s chief coordinator.

For the record, the BJP issued a statement saying his resignation from the party has been accepted and asked its cadres not to have any truck with Arjunamurthy, who seems to have good relations with top DMK leaders too. Adding to the speculation was RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, who went all out to give media interviews to say that people against the DMK and AIADMK will certainly vote for the actor’s party. Gurumurthy has been advising Rajinikanth on his political entry.

1

The superstar, who enjoys a demi-god status among his fans, is likely to project himself as an alternative to the Dravidian majors – the DMK and the AIADMK – who have been dominating the Tamil Nadu’s political landscape since 1967. But AIADMK Coordinator O Panneerselvam welcomed his entry into politics and went to the extent of saying an "alliance with him is possible if there is a chance", fuelling speculation, while the DMK said his entry will not dent its base in the state.

In true filmy style, Rajinikanth put out a terse statement on Thursday afternoon promising "political and regime change" in the 2021 elections on his verified Twitter page and followed it up with an impromptu press briefing. Promising an "honest, transparent, casteless, non-corrupt administration and ushering in of spiritual politics", Rajinikanth said he would even be happy to give his life for the people of Tamil Nadu.

"Political and regime change is the need of the hour. It is very important. If not now, never. I am just a small tool in achieving the change. If I win, it is people’s victory, and if I lose, it is people’s loss...Like individuals, every state has a fate. Tamil Nadu also has fate and time has come to change the fate," Rajinikanth said.

While Rajinikanth may be a charismatic face and might command a base among his fans, there is no clarity on his policies and where he stands politically.

"The decision by Rajinikanth to take the political plunge itself is delayed. And in my opinion, it is too early to talk about the impact he will make because his party structure is still not in place and he has not yet spelt out his ideology," political analyst P Ramajayam told DH.