Superstar Rajinikanth has held his cards very close to the chest when it comes to taking the political plunge. Now, the southern sensation is all set to unveil the name of his political party on December 31. Many believe that the superstar’s entry into politics will change the very dynamics of present-day Tamilian politics. It is no secret that Rajinikanth enjoys a mass appeal within Tamil Nadu, and that ordinary citizens and political leaders alike are waiting with bated breath, anticipating the film star’s manoeuvres in the near future, in the runup to the 2021 assembly polls in the state.
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, who had entered politics in 2018 itself has now strongly hinted at a possible tie-up with Rajinikanth and his party for the state elections next year. If the same fructifies, it would be tremendously detrimental to the DMK-Congress alliance, which is why they are already issuing desperate statements to the effect that no alliance whatsoever can stop them from winning the elections next year. Yet, it is known to them abundantly that a Haasan-Rajinikanth tie-up would ring the death knell for their electoral fortunes next year.
Alone, Kamal Haasan has not amounted to much in Tamil Nadu, and recently he has also been at the receiving end of some bad press. Reports about Haasan’s party – MNM gearing up to ally with Owaisi’s AIMIM have now forced Kamal to hint at his openness to an alliance with Rajinikanth. Rajinikanth, by his own admission, has repeatedly said that his politics would be “spiritual”, indicating his inclinations for the BJP and NDA. Kamal Haasan, although not appreciative of spiritual politics per se, knows that Rajinikanth allying with the NDA in the state will result in the culmination of his largely uneventful and boring political run.
Since 2018, Kamal Haasan has not had much to account for electorally. In the 2019 general elections, his party failed to send a single MP to the Lok Sabha. With Rajinikanth, who is supportive of PM Modi now entering the fray in Tamil Nadu, Haasan stares at the prospect of being reduced to a non-entity.
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According to Kamal Haasan, meanwhile, an alliance with Rajinikanth is just “a phone call away”. Speaking to reporters, Hassan said if there are no ideological differences between them, his party is ready to “cooperate”. “Political change is necessary. We are just a phone call away. If our ideology is similar and if it would benefit the people, we are ready to set aside our egos and cooperate with each other,” he said. Kamal Haasan had launched his party – Makkal Needhi Maiam’s campaign for the upcoming elections on December 13.
Rajinikanth is slated to announce the name of his party on December 31, followed by the formal launch of the political front in January 2021. Rajinikanth also announced that his party would contest on all 234 seats in the state. The Congress, meanwhile, has alleged that Rajinikanth has been “set up” by the BJP with an aim to divide the votes of DMK. The AIADMK and BJP, confident as they are, have wholeheartedly welcomed the superstar’s announcement of floating a political party.
The DMK, on the other hand, has said that they are “not bothered” about the entry of Rajinikanth into mainstream politics, or about a possible tie-up between Kamal Haasan and Rajini prior to the assembly elections next year. DMK leader TKS Elangovan dismissed any threat to his party saying that the alliance may turn out to be a vote-cutter for ruling AIADMK instead. “DMK’s position is strong, we are in the opposition. Only the votes in favour of the AIADMK may split. We are strong and we have performed. For 20 years we have done a lot for Tamil Nadu and people know. We could deliver so we are not bothered,” he said.
When it comes to being unaffected to vote-cutting by Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, the AIADMK-BJP combine is far more immune to the same than the DMK-Congress’ alliance. Already, Rajinikanth seems to have made his political leanings known, as he appointed Ra Arjunamurthy, former president of the BJP state unit’s intellectual wing, as the chief coordinator of his fans’ association. The Tamil Nadu elections, needless to say, are going to get very interesting as the poll dates approach.
