Rajinikanth issues statement on why he did not enter politics. Here’s what he said
Rajinikanth, in a statement posted by his PRO Riaz K Ahmed on Twitter, stated that he will not make his political entry for the sake of comments passed by people who would criticize him for not doing so. Taking a jibe at political parties who held electoral campaigns and rallies ahead of the elections amid the second wave of coronavirus, Rajinikanth said he chose not to jeopardize the lives of his supporters. The 70-year-old actor also added that he will never hesitate to speak the truth.
The statement from Rajinikanth comes at a time when both national and regional parties have been subjected to scrutiny for conducting political rallies amid surge in number of COVID-19 cases reported in different parts of the country. After casting his vote in this year’s TN state Legislative Assembly election without endorsing any political party. However, in his statement, Rajinikanth explained one of the reasons behind his decision to not contest the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. “This coronavirus is coming in as second wave. I don’t want to make my followers sacrificial lambs just because people will talk about my decision to refrain from entering politics. I have never shied away from speaking the truth,” he tweeted.
On December 3 last year, Rajinikanth had announced that his yet-to-launched party would contest the Legislative Assembly Elections. Although the superstar’s fan clubs were reorganized as the Rajini Makkal Mandram and considered the precursor to the party, an official announcement about the party launch was scheduled to be made on December 31. However, on December 29, Rajinikanth dropped out of the electoral battle, citing his health and inability to venture out and campaign during the pandemic as the reasons behind the decision.
Rajinikanth’s political entry has been a subject of heated debates and discussion for decades now. Although the superstar was expected to make his political entry as early as 1996 when he said “even god cannot save” Tamil Nadu if the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa won a successive term in elections, he had only hinted about his political entry through speeches and films. It was in 2017 at Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam in Chennai that the actor confirmed for the first time that he will enter electoral politics.
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth is currently shooting for the upcoming Kollywood movie Annaatthe.
