“Now or never” – With this statement echoing his “punch” dialogue in the movies, Tamil film industry superstar Rajinikanth finally confirmed his decision to enter politics. He has kept his fans and the people of the state guessing too much, for more than 25 years, through his dialogue and films about his entry into the fray.
It all started in 1996 when he bitterly criticized the late Jayalalitha, who faced around 20 charges of corruption and lost the support of the people due to her overbearing and authoritarian regime. Political observers felt that the time had come for Rajinikanth to enter politics, and even the late Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao invited him to join Congress to strengthen the party in Tamil Nadu. But Rajinikanth probably hesitated because he rightly felt that he had many more years of film career.
For more than two decades he was rocking, clipping through his cinematic dialogue to keep his fans guessing. He uttered what is now known as “punch” dialogue such as “I may be late, but it will be the last”, “I won’t tell you when I will come, but I will certainly come”, and in one of his later films he said, “Tell them I have arrived”.
His fans almost lost their patience and even began to believe that such periodic prompts from the superstar, which usually coincided with the release of his new movie, were meant to promote his films that have started to have less success at the box office lately. .
Now, you have decided. His party will be launched in January 2021 and will contest the 234 seats in the state elections scheduled for May next year. He said his party’s goal was to provide a transparent, honest and corruption-free government, free from religious or caste prejudice. His policy, he said, would be “spiritual policy.”
With the death of the charismatic leaders, Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, Rajinikanth might have thought that the time had come to launch his party, which could offer an alternative to the two Dravidian parties.
His “spiritual politics” may, some say, bring the BJP who is making every effort to find a foot in Tamil Nadu. Unsurprisingly, BJP state leaders have welcomed his announcement. Amit Shah during his visit to Chennai last week was expected to meet with Rajinikath, but the meeting did not take place.
One of the things that made him hesitate was perhaps the idea that a pro-BJP image would negatively affect his party in Tamil Nadu, where the BJP is perceived as a North Indian party, pro-rich and anti-minority and anti -dalit, trying to impose Hindi and Sanskrit in the state. Some fringe groups are already up in arms against Rajinikanth, a non-Tamil, who ranks highest in the state. But his supporters note that the Tamils are less bothered by it, noting that MG Ramachandran was a Malayali who ruled the state as the undisputed leader until his death. Jayalalithaa was a Brahmin who headed a Dravidian group.
His new party has to fight against the two formidable Dravidian parties, well structured and with a solid cadre base. With years of being in power, both parties have enough money and resources to fight the elections. It is now a known secret that lately, the majority of voters in Tamil Nadu have become corrupt and political parties need to buy the votes. Can Rajinikanth turn people away from this evil? The 70-year-old superstar is already ill and underwent a kidney transplant a couple of years ago, which will be a roadblock during elections that require a rigorous campaign.
Without a recognized second-line leader, one is not sure whether his fans will vote for his party if he is going to stick to his declaration that he would not be prime minister. He has appointed Tamilaruvi Manian, a Gandhian, as supervisor of party affairs, while Arjunamurthy, who until yesterday was with the BJP, as convener and coordinator. Opposition leaders cite Arjunamurthy’s connection to the BJP as an indication that eventually the party is ready to align or merge with the BJP.
There is also another scenario: after the poor show in the Bihar elections, the DMK perceives Congress as a deadweight ally, desperate to return to power. DMK strategists, as well as top party leaders, have been advising DMK chief MK Stalin not to give up any more seats to Congress in the May elections.
Congress, along with the other disgruntled allies of the Dravidian parties, may consider joining Rajinikanth to form a third front. Film actor Kamal Haasan, who heads the Makkal Needhi Maiam political party, has already indicated that he may not be averse to joining Rajinikanth. Many political observers say that Rajinikanth’s new party will impact and erode the DMK vote bank, which faces a strong campaign as an anti-Hindu party, although many of its leaders and cadres still visit temples to refute this image.
A political theorist says: “If you start a match, the first choice is to contest and lose, the second to watch, and the third to contest and win.” But Rajinikanth is elderly, in poor health, and has no second line of leaders to follow. His fans have gotten older and more mature. How big is your vote bank? Let’s wait and see.
Disclaimer:Opinions expressed are personal.
.
