Reluctant on political plunge, Rajinikanth says not interested in Chief Minister’s post

Refusing to give a categorical timeline for the launch of his political party, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Thursday put the onus on the people to “show the resurgence towards a political change” for him to take the formal plunge.

Also, in an anti-climax of sorts, Rajinikanth said he would never be the Chief Minister even if his yet-to-be-launched party was to win elections as he “never aspired for any post” and would only oversee the performance of the government without “interfering much” in its functioning.

In a half-hour monologue in what was supposed to be an interaction with the media, the 69-year-old superstar narrated a carefully drafted script that pushed the ball onto the common man’s court for him to keep his date with politics. He left the venue without taking any questions from the media.

Rajinikanth had announced on the last day of 2017 that he would face the 2021 assembly polls by launching his own party. However, Thursday’s press conference showed how unprepared the actor was for his political plunge with political analysts interpreting his statements as the “way to wriggle out” of the situation.

He outlined three “novel ideas” – limited number of party posts to curb corruption, bringing youngsters and clean people to politics and place them in pole positions in the corridor of power and him not being the Chief Minister – and asked his fans to take his message to the nook and corner of the state.

“Take this message to the people, to the nook and corner of the state and please stop projecting me as the next chief minister. Tell people about my ideas and let there be a resurgence and wave (in favour of me), I will come then. I will come,” Rajinikanth said in his signature filmy style by thumping the podium before which he was making the speech.

Revealing that neither his fans nor his advisors are comfortable with his idea of not holding the Chief Minister’s post, Rajinikanth did not specify the method to gauge the resurgence and the wave.

"The change that happened in 1967 (when DMK overthrew the Congress) should repeat in 2021 (when Dravidian parties are sent home,” the actor said, but again put the onus on the people to show the resurgence in a way it is “visible to me.”

Through the 30 minutes, the superstar did not give even a small hint on when he would launch his political party but gave enough indications that he may not be a true-blue political material. Rajinikanth said he can’t imagine sitting in the Assembly, giving speeches even while making it clear that he just wants to play the role of a “facilitator” to usher in the change, which Tamil Nadu has been “yearning” for decades.

“If not now, there will neither be political change nor government change (in Tamil Nadu),” Rajinikanth declared, before apologising to reporters for not taking questions as answering them would “dilute the message” he delivered.

Rajinikanth also suggested there was “no need” for him to come to politics if he was not able to bring about the change that the state “has been yearning for” and asserted he was interested in nurturing leaders like the late C N Annadurai did during the height of the Dravidian movement and not just sit and enjoy power.

Acknowledging that defeating DMK, whose leader M K Stalin will “go to any extent” to preserve the legacy left by his father late M Karunanidhi, and AIADMK, which has all resources at its disposal for the party is in power in Tamil Nadu for nearly a decade, Rajinikanth said he was interested in politics to usher in a change and not to be just a spoiler or “vote splitter.”

“A movement should take birth and there should be a resurgence. If there is a resurgence among the youth and common people, we can just tide over the two giants of Dravidian politics. If there is a wave, a movement and resurgence for a change, we can achieve. It is your duty to bring that wave,” Rajinikanth told his fans.

Admitting that 2021 elections was his “first and last chance” for taking the political plunge as he was already 69, Rajinikanth said he was making amply clear his policies and his “not for CM” stand much before the formal launch of his political party.

“If people don’t accept my policies and my stand on not occupying the Chief Minister’s post now, how will they accept after launching the political party? If I say no then, people will call me coward and so on. But I am not bothered about the tag. I am here only to bring the change,” he said.

Billing the 2021 elections as the “opportune moment” for overthrowing the Dravidian majors from power after a gap of 53 years, Rajinikanth maintained Tamil Nadu has a “huge political vacuum” due to the passing away of Dravidian stalwarts M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa.

During the course of his speech, Rajinikanth reminisced his association with Karunanidhi and late Cho Ramasamy, the celebrated political analyst and journalist, and spoke about how he could have become the Chief Minister if he wanted in 1996.

“Cho used to call me a fascist as I don’t change my decision once I take,” he said.