Chennai: What held back Rajinikanth from taking the political plunge? Though he himself had cited frail health as the reason, the question for long continued to exercise his fans and supporters who were unable to come to terms with it. Now, the iconic actor had disclosed that kidney ailment and medical advice had forced him to opt out of politics once and for all.
Thalaivar's decision in December 2020, ahead of launching his political party months before the assembly poll in Tamil Nadu, was a great disappointment not only to his ardent fans but to the BJP as well. Devoid of a popular face, the saffron party was hoping to ride on him to expand its political footprint in the Dravidian heartland. And for his part, Rajinikanth always identified himself with the Right Wing.
“I was all set to step into politics and it was a commitment I had made from which I could not back off. I had undergone a kidney transplant and was an immunosuppressant. Then the second wave of the Covid pandemic struck. When I consulted my doctor, he stoutly opposed my entering politics since I had to keep a safe distance of 10 ft from anyone and had to wear a mask,” Rajinikanth said, adding “Is it possible to adhere to that in the campaign and in rallies and roadshows?”
“Only after Dr. Ravichandar offered to explain my condition to the media and to my fans, I could overcome my indecision and decided to quit politics,” he said, speaking at the silver jubilee function of Sapiens Health Foundation in Chennai.
“The day I met him in 2010, was the lucky day in my life. The previous hospital where I was taking treatment was not satisfactory. It was found that 60 percent of my kidney was damaged. Then, he suggested that I go for a transplant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, USA. For, here there are many formalities and me being a celebrity there would be issues and hence he pressed for going abroad,” he recalled.
There was great expectation about Rajinikanth launching his proposed political party and plans were there to hold a mega-conference in Madurai on January 17, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the charismatic film star and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran. It was not without reason, because MGR was the first to become a Chief Minister from the tinsel world. But, he called it quits days before he was to launch his political party.
But, even before the show was to commence, he brought the curtains down and released a statement informing his decision to take political sanyas. While his fans and the BJP were a disappointed lot, the Dravidian parties, including the DMK welcomed it, heaving a sigh of relief. Even the ultra-Tamil nationalist Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) of filmmaker Seeman had welcomed it as a wise decision.
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