Rajinikanth: will not launch a political party

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday announced that he was going to withdraw his decision to launch a political party and that he will not enter the electoral fray. “I regret to inform that I am not going to launch a political party,” he said. “I will serve people in whatever ways I can without entering electoral politics,” he said.

This announcement is the latest U-turn in his saga of announcing a political outfit. A few weeks back, he had announced that he will be launching his political party in January 2021 and that the official announcement will be made on December 31, 2020. He had earlier said that there is a leadership vacuum in Tamil Nadu and his political entry is certain. He announced this on December 31, 2017.

Rajinikanth’s statement comes exactly three days after he had a closed meeting with his supporters, asking their opinion on his active political entry. If Rajinikanth launched his party as he has said, this will be the first time Tamil Nadu will witness ‘spiritual politics’. He said his party will be non-casteist.

Rajinikanth finally mentioning the date of his party launch had come as a huge relief for his fans who have been expecting his political entry for over two decades.

Rajinikanth had created his own party infrastructure in the name of Rajini Makkal Mandram and has kept his fan club members guessing on his active plunge for over the past three years. While he is widely maligned by the opposition as a man who has a soft corner towards Hindutva, Rajini’s ‘spiritual politics’ will be keenly watched after his official political plunge.