New Delhi: Hours after superstar Rajinikanth appeared before fans on Monday morning and said “if God decides that I join politics, then I will do so,” BJP leader Subramanian Swamy called it a “joke” and advised him to stay out of politics. At the same time, RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy said that Rajinikanth made a well thought out statement.
Interestingly, sources within BJP told News18 that the party is keen to have the superstar, who has appeal across castes and classes in Tamil Nadu, lead the state out of the crisis which has emerged after AIADMK leader Jayalalitha’s death in December last year.
There seems to be a liking for Rajinikanth not only in the BJP but also in the broader Sangh Parivar. Welcoming Rajinikanth’s statement on joining politics, RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy suggested the superstar is making well thought out statements. “It evokes memories of a time when, as newly elected Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had hit out at corruption and said ‘Na khaoonga, na khaane doonga (Won’t take bribes, won’t let anyone else take bribes),” Gurumurthy told News18.
Earlier in the day, in an open interaction with his fans, Rajinikanth said, “Right now God is using me as an actor, but I can’t say anything about the future. If God decides that I join politics, then I will do so.” The actor indicated his preference was for value-based politics, saying, “If in case I decide to join politics, I won’t allow wrong people to join me. I will keep them away.”
But Swamy, who is known for his controversial remarks, said, “Rajini has been with various parties and has no ideology. Rajini is a mere distraction.”
Swamy went on to to say that Rajinikanth was not even a Tamilian; “in fact, he is a Marathi from Bengaluru,” he said. Swamy also took potshots at the megastar’s fans. “It is a cult following,” he said. Swamy said that cinema people are good at giving statements as their dialogues are scripted by somebody else.
During his interaction with fans, Rajinikanth said, “I committed a mistake by supporting a political alliance 21 years back, it was a political accident,” Rajinikanth said on Monday. During the PV Narasimha Rao government in the nineties, Rajinikanth had begun to support the Indian National Congress (INC). However, he shifted allegiance to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) alliance after the Congress decided to align itself with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
In February this year, speculation was rife that Rajinikanth intended to test political waters after saying he “liked power”. However, he later clarified that he was talking about spiritual power and not material power.
Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Rajinikanth in Chennai, but both later clarified the visit was just a courtesy call.
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