Ahead of Party Launch Rajinikanth Aborts Political Plunge: Disappointment in Saffron Camp

Frail health forces 'Thalaivar' to abandon the proposed launch of his political party, disappointing ardent fans and supporters, particularly the BJP. Two days before the much-awaited announcement he was to make, the superstar released a three-page statement, making it clear that he was not prepared to dump his followers as scapegoats in the political arena, given his current state of health. Profusely apologising to the fans and the general public for this painful decision, the actor said it was not an easy one but an agonising one. Further, he pointed out that campaign through the media and social media would not bring the desired result in the elections. While it has come as a relief to the dominant Dravidian parties, the ruling AIADMK and the opposition DMK, this has put paid to the saffron party's calculations of using him as a right-wing face in Tamil Nadu politics, writes MC Rajan, Tamil Nadu Bureau Chief, ETV Bharat.

Chennai: Even before the show was to commence, he had brought the curtains down giving a quiet burial to his political ambitions. Iconic film star Rajinikanth, playing the impossible on screen, has done it in real life as well. Though most political parties welcomed the actor's decision of bidding adieu to politics, there appeared to be much relief in the Dravidian camp, while the saffron brigade which had huge hopes on him was left gasping for breath.

Ever since Rajinikanth was hospitalised and the film shoot of his latest project Annathe was halted, doubts were raised over 'thalaivar' keeping his date with New Year eve to announce the christening of his party and the follow-up programmes. Reports were also doing the rounds that he had planned to hold a massive conference to launch the party at Madurai on January 17, coinciding with the birth anniversary of late matinee icon and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran, who was the first in the country to become Chief Minister from the tinsel world. But everything has come to a naught with Rajinikanth saying goodbye to politics.

With this sudden and unexpected development, the mood in the BJP has turned sombre if not desolate.

While BJP state president L Murugan refused to comment on this, former Union Minister of State and party veteran Pon Radhakrishna made known his disappointment. “No doubt, it is highly disappointing for the people. Yet, we have to accept Rajinikanth's decision. The BJP is for people with integrity entering politics,” Radhakrishnan said while putting up a brave face that this would not affect the saffron party.

However, the entire opposition, right from the DMK to the Tamil nationalist 'Naam Tamilar' party of Seeman, as well as the Congress and the Left, have consistently maintained that the BJP had exerted pressure on the actor to take the political plunge. Analysts too argue that Rajinikanth's announcement from his Poes Garden residence earlier this month on launching the party and contesting the 2021 assembly elections was made within a fortnight of saffron strongman Amit Shah's visit. Memes on social media caricatured him as a puppet in the hands of the BJP leadership.

“Devoid of any popular face in the state, the BJP was using him to expand the political space for the right-wing and appropriate the same later on. For, thus far the BJP's efforts to occupy the nationist space has not borne fruit. Hence, it was banking on Rajinikanth to play according to its tunes. Second rung leaders in the BJP are very vocal about it. Now, that option has turned futile,” reasons political analyst Aaazhi Senthilnathan.

Though untested, the superstar's political advent was expected to poach the AIADMK vote share since both share the same social base. Further, Rajinikanth's entry had the potential to split the anti-incumbency that the DMK was hoping to garner.

As such, both the Dravidian majors are relieved. On the other hand, the BJP has lost a trump card to dictate terms to the AIADMK, which heads the NDA in Tamil Nadu. BJP supporters have even floated the idea of a third front with Rajinikanth and other allies of the AIADMK like the OBC Vanniyar-dominant Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), actor-neta Vijayakanth's DMDK and GK Vasan's TMC besides the TTV Dhinakaran faction of the AIADMK.

“Rajinikanth always identified himself with the right-wing. But, No more the BJP could corner the AIADMK by using the Rajinikanth card and press for a power-sharing formula. The saffron camp has lost a trump card. And, as expected the AIADMK has dismissed the BJP's demand for a coalition government. With elections a few months down the line, the BJP's expectation of riding piggy-back on Rajinikanth has backfired,” argues Dr C Lakshmanan, teaching at Madras Institute of Development Studies.

Yet, a feeble hope in the saffron brigade is that the film star would lend his voice for the BJP in the assembly elections as he had done in the past. RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy betrayed this expectation in a tweet. Will 'Thalaivar' break his political sanyas? It will be another long wait.