“Although he is not getting into politics, I think his support will be there for AIADMK,” said Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar.
Hours after superstar Rajinikanth announced that he will not join electoral politics, the leaders of All India ruler Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu urged the actor to back the party. Speaking to Thanthi TV, Tamil Nadu minister and senior AIADMK leader Mafoi Pandiarajan said Rajinikanth should back the ruling party.
“He wanted MGR government in Tamil Nadu, and AIADMK can give it. Then Rajini should support us,” he said. “Although he is not getting into politics, I think his support will be there for AIADMK,” Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told another outlet. AIADMK leaders seem to believe that Rajini’s endorsement will help the party just as in 1996 when the superstar’s only statement is believed: “Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if Jayalalithaa returns to power” turned the tide to favor of the DMK-TMC Combine Harvester.
Others in AIADMK said that Rajinikanth’s decision may not have an impact on the electoral battle, as he has not yet taken the plunge.
“If he had been in electoral politics and had contested earlier, his announcement could have had an impact. It hadn’t even started. He had announced that he would start a party, now he has said no. My opinion is that this will have no impact, ”said Kadambur Raju, Minister of Information and Publicity. He added that MGR’s legacy was solely AIADMK’s.
Reactions from AIADMK leaders came later, in an anticlimax to his long-awaited political downfall, Rajinikanth on Tuesday decided not to do so, citing his health condition.
The actor said that although he tested negative for coronavirus, his blood pressure fluctuated and he had been hospitalized in Hyderabad. In a statement Tuesday, the actor said: “I view this health complication (hospitalization) as a warning from God,” the actor said in a statement released Tuesday. The actor also said that it is not possible to just campaign through social media after hosting a party.
“I have to address public meetings, meet thousands of people,” he said, adding: “So, with great regret, I am saying that I am not in a position to start a political party and go into politics. Only I know the pain when I announce this, “Rajinikanth said.
With IANS inputs
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