Has Rajini donned new role as BJP emissary in politics?

The meeting of south Indian superstar Rajinikanth with his Kollywood colleague and DMDK leader Vijayakanth, at a time when the seat negotiations between the latter and the ruling AIADMK had hit a roadblock over the number of seats, has raised questions if Rajinikanth had gone as an emissary of the saffron part to pacify ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth.

Chennai: The meeting of south Indian superstar Rajinikanth with his Kollywood colleague and DMDK leader Vijayakanth, at a time when the seat negotiations between the latter and the ruling AIADMK had hit a roadblock over the number of seats, has raised questions if Rajinikanth had gone as an emissary of the saffron part to pacify ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth.

It is an open secret that Rajnikanth avoids any meeting with political leaders as he is aware of the speculations and questions that will follow his action. Meeting a political leader who is in the midst of hectic political negotiations is certainly not Rajini style and his out of the way meeting, a day after TNCC president S Thirunavukkarasar’s visit has raised many eyebrows. The immediate visit of DMK president MK Stalin also makes it clear that the Leader of Opposition too feels that there is something happening behind the scene.

DMDK was a constituent of the NDA even in the last 2014 Lok Sabha elections and it started negotiating with the BJP initially and then only the AIADMK came into the picture. Vijayakanth’s party had made it clear that they are an ally of the BJP first and this factor had made the saffron party leaders to insist the AIADMK to bring Captain aboard.

The DMDK which has a running rivalry with the PMK in the northern districts ever since its inception is demanding seats equal to the PMK and this is delaying the alliance formation. The AIADMK is citing the 2.39 per cent vote share of the DMDK in the 2016 Assembly polls as the basis for seat allocation, while the actor’s party wants its vote share of 5.19 in the 2014 Parliament elections as the basis for seat bargain.

The BJP had failed to convince the actor to join the alliance and someone like Rajinikanth was necessary to pacify Vijayakanth. After Rajinikanth’s meeting with Vijayakanth, the Congress is said to have requested the DMK leadership to bring Vijayakanth in their alliance to ensure a crushing defeat for the AIADMK alliance. The national party is also ready to part with a few seats from its bag to accommodate the DMDK. Stalin’s meeting with Vijayakanth is aimed at dispelling the impression that there is personal rivalry between him and the actor.

Rajinikath and Vijayakanth are on the same page when it comes to their hatred and dislike for the PMK. The superstar could have made it clear that he is also opposed to the PMK and asked Vijayakanth not to quit the NDA because PMK had entered it.

Though Rajini claimed that his visit was only a courtesy call, the timing says it all.

At present, AIADMK which has allocated 5 seats to BJP and 7 to PMK, has entrusted the national party with the task of bringing DMDK to its alliance. In line with this, Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal, who announced the AIADMK alliance, met Vijayakant and held talks. Even as Goel downplayed his visit as a courtesy call, BJP state president Tamilisai Soundararajan asserted that DMDK would soon join the saffron front for the welfare of people.

Thirunavukkararasar who met Vijaykant on Thursday said that he did talk politics with 'Captain' and insisted the latter to take a decision on alliance which has a bearing on people welfare. Vijayakanth is also upset over AIADMK which had announced its truck with PMK even before formally commencing talks with DMDK.

Stalin who met Vijaykant said he had called on Vijaykant as a concerned friend and that the latter sent a teary-eyed video message of mourning when former DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi died.
Meanwhile, AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam who had a discussion with BJP president Amit Shah met the media at Madurai Airport said his party is still in talks with DMDK.

In 2016 Assembly Election, DMDK polled 2.39 per cent votes but its votes per constituency was 5.42 which is lower that the average votes per constituency secured by his allies MDMK (7.25), VCK (6.98), CPI (6.8) and CPM (7.13). The votes per constituency indicated that his part is the least popular among the constituents of the front which had contested lesser number of seats and got less than one per cent votes each in the overall tally. But, suddenly, his party had attracted the attention of all the parties due to the meeting of Rajinikanth and Stalin with Vijayakanth.

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