Tamil Nadu’s tryst with spiritual politics materialised on Thursday as reigning superstar of Tamil cinema Rajinikanth declared the formation of his political party.
“If it is not now, it is going to be never. We will change everything associated with Tamil Nadu politics. My victory will be yours and your victory will be mine,” declared the actor in a specially convened Press meeting at the courtyard of his Poes Garden Residence in Chennai.
He said he would declare the name of the party and plan of action on December 31. “We will surely contest the next Assembly election and form the Government which the people have been waiting for long,” said the superstar.
As expected, Rajinikanth was accompanied by Tamilaruvi Manian, his Man Friday who has been working steadfast since 2016 with the actor for forming the political outfit. Manian is a former chief of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and belongs to the school of titans like K Kamaraj, C Subramaniam and R Venkitaraman. Arjunamurthy, one of the BJP leaders, too joined the Rajinikanth bandwagon on Thursday as adviser.
What culminated on Thursday was the preparations that began more than four years ago by Rajinikanth to usher in a new politics and way of thinking in the State dominated by Dravida Maya, according to Kolahala Srenivaas, political thinker and author.
“Politics will not be the same again in Tamil Nadu. We are going to see advisers like Manian leading the State to a renaissance and bring Tamil Nadu back to the national mainstream,” Srenivaas told The Pioneer.
S Gurumurthy, editor, Tughlaq and the State’s lead political commentator, is of the view that Rajinikanth has the potential to make a transformation in the State because of his broad national outlook. “We will soon see Dravida politics being pushed out from the State. There is going to be a refreshing change,” said Gurumurthy.
The entry of Rajinikanth will see electoral alliances in Tamil Nadu undergoing major changes with more realignments, permutations and combinations. The coming day will see the DMK dumping the Congress and accepting the PMK as an alliance partner. I do not rule out the possibility of Rajinikanth, the BJP and Tamil Manila Congress coming together in time for the polls. Exciting things are on the anvil,” said Srenivaas.
According to Gurumurthy, the serious political vacuum experienced in Tamil Nadu by the departure of Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi would be addressed to a great extent by Rajinikanth, the Maharashtrian-born former bus conductor, who has emerged as a rallying point for people in all walks of life.
