Rajinikanth has announced that he will launch his party in January and that he was prepared to “change the fate of Tamil Nadu”.
On Wednesday night, as members of Thanjavur Rajini Makkal Mandram gathered around their district secretary, they received surprising but welcome news. Sathyanarayana Rai Gaekwad, Rajinikanth’s older brother, had telephoned and informed district leaders that the actor was finally ready to make an announcement about his political party on Thursday.
“Rajinikanth always chooses Thursday to deliver good news because he considers it an auspicious day. However, we were not sure what to make of this message from Chennai,” admits a member of RMM, on condition of anonymity. “We had almost given up hope of his political entry. There was a lack of clarity about his next steps at Monday’s meeting and we had prepared for the worst,” he adds.
But this confusion and doubt was soon dismissed for fans and supporters across the state as Rajinikanth announced that he will be launching his party in January and that he was set to ‘change the fate of Tamil Nadu’. In an enthusiastic speech, he announced that the time for change was “now.”
Why did Rajinikanth finally take the plunge?
In December 2017, the actor made a dramatic and shocking statement at the Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam in Chennai. For years he had been hinting at a political entrance in his films and speeches, but for the first time he assured his fans that he was truly ready to take the plunge.
“My entry into politics is safe. This is the compulsion of the times. In the next State Assembly elections, I will start my own political party and compete in the 234 constituencies of Tamil Nadu,” he stated without hesitation. He announced that if he did not act immediately, he would be disappointing the millions of Tamils who had helped him become a ‘superstar’.
“At this point, if I don’t take decisive action, the guilt that I didn’t even try to do something good in a democratic way for the people who gave me life will haunt me to my death,” he said. And this promise in itself, according to sources close to the actor, was the main reason for his decision.
“The great speech that he gave was the main reason for his decision to finally take a decisive position. He had spoken of gratitude and if he did not stick to his statement, he would be disappointing everyone who supported him,” he explains. .
But even the actor’s confidants were taken aback by the timing of this decision. In March this year, the actor had expressed doubts about his political entry and made it clear that he was not willing to compete as the main candidate for the minister.
An RMM official who works closely with the actor tells TNM that even one day ago, Gandhi Makkal Iyakkam’s leader, Tamilaruvi Manian (who has now been appointed party supervisor), had informed the team that it would not be done. no big announcement this week.
“Although we knew that Rajinikanth was meeting with the media, we had no idea that it would be such an important announcement,” he tells TNM. However, the reason for this, according to BJP sources, is a possible meeting Rajinikanth held in Chennai with a national BJP leader who deals specifically with Tamil Nadu.
“It was an unofficial meeting and it helped cement the actor’s confidence when it came to taking the plunge,” says a BJP source.
During his speech in 2017, Rajinikanth had specifically said that he missed the presence of journalist and actor Cho Ramasamy. He had noticed that he would have had more confidence and support if the former Tughlaq editor had been by his side.
“The fact that he now has strong advisers with him is another reason for the announcement,” says a source close to him. “You can consult the editor of Tughlaq, Gurumoorthy and Tamilaruvi Manian, on his next political steps. He thinks he now has the right people around him,” he adds.
And the last reason, according to the source, is that Rajinikanth himself was “serious” taking the political step this time. He positioned his party as an alternative to the Dravidian front that had alternately ruled the state.
“There was a lot of expectation about his political party and there is a considerable population that wants an alternative to the Dravidian parties. We have seen the situation in 1989 and in 2016. In 2016, with Vijayakanth at the head, the front obtained 10% of the votes. Yes Rajinikanth leads a front, they can achieve much more ”, says the source close to the actor.
However, this prediction comes with a caveat. “This is possible only if Rajinikanth is projected as the face of Chief Minister,” says the source. “What he said earlier about not wanting to be Chief Minister needs to be reexamined.”
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