Actor-turning-politician Rajinikanth has developed opinions – strong ones at that. While his political opponents seem clear, who are his allies, really?
Actor Rajinikanth on Monday, broke his usual reserve to comment on the politics of the state and slammed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his Cabinet ministers for not attending the funeral of DMK leader M Karunanidhi. Speaking at a condolence meeting convened by the South Indian Artistes Association, Rajini, in an uncharacteristic display of allegiance, wondered at the absence of the ‘first citizen of the State’ when other leaders like Congress President Rahul Gandhi were present. “He was honoured with a 21-gun salute and was buried with state honours. But why wasn’t the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu present at the funeral?” he asked amid loud cheers.
He then condemned the AIADMK for not placing a photograph of M Karunanidhi next to party founder MGR at the anniversary celebrations of the party. “Karunanidhi is the reason AIADMK exists, then why wasn’t his photograph next to MGR’s?” he questioned.
The Past
Incidentally, the AIADMK was founded in 1972 by an irate MGR, whose growing popularity in the DMK had irked Karunanidhi. Karunanidhi, who was the Chief Minister, hoped to undermine MGR’s base by trying to get his son MK Muthu to be the face of the party; he had Muthu act in films written by him in 1972. According to Vaasanthi’s book Caste, Cut-outs & Cinestars, “Karunanidhi’s loyalists tried to pressurize some MGR fan clubs to turn into Muthu fan clubs using financial inducements and police repression. They were in for a rude shock. The MGR fan clubs threatened to disaffiliate themselves from the DMK, forcing Karunanidhi to disband the Muthu fan clubs. He was a disaster as an actor anyway.”
It is also widely believed that the DMK won the 1971 Legislative Assembly Election largely thanks to MGR’s campaign, and MGR wanted to be suitably compensated for his role. Karunanidhi, on the other hand, would only offer him the post of the party treasurer and not a cabinet portfolio. The furious MGR, who went on a public rant against the party, making allegations of corruption, was soon expelled. The AIADMK was born a week after his expulsion from the DMK, and soon became formidable opposition.
Challenge to Government
Meanwhile, Rajini, who is yet to launch his party, and who has been reticent in the past about his political affiliations, may just be hinting at what is to come. This is also probably the first time that Rajini has openly challenged the current government – “if the state government had appealed against the Madras High Court verdict [to grand burial space at Marina for M Karunanidhi] I would have sat in protest myself.” Incidentally, it was Rajini who had supported the state government during the Sterlite protests and had attributed to the police firing as the work of some anti-social elements.
Rajini’s statements come in the wake of former Union Minister MK Azhagiri’s declarations that many DMK members were in touch with Rajini, and that party posts were being “sold”. “After the General Elections, the party will be destroyed. I have Karunanidhi’s true supporters with me. Thalaivar’s soul will punish them. If the party was doing fine, why would they lose deposit in RK Nagar polls? Party leaders say that they have received money and they lost elections,” he said to a news channel. Azhagiri, who was expelled from the DMK in 2014 after an altercation with his father and for “anti-party activities”, also added that the party workers will do “what he wants” in six months’ time. The relationship between Rajini and Azhagiri has remained cordial; some speculate that Azhagiri may join hands with the actor, after all.
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Interestingly, Rajini invoked the ‘Thalapathy’ [General] – an epithet by which MK Stalin is addressed in the party – as often as he could at the meeting. “I couldn’t handle it when Thalapathy broke down like a child. Thalapathy, your udanpirapugal (brothers) are there with you. Don’t worry,” he said. Rajinikanth had supported the DMK in the 1996 Assembly and the 1998 Lok Sabha elections.
MK Stalin, the DMK working president, had earlier criticised Rajinikanth’s political ideals. Commenting on the actor-politician’s assertion of engaging in spiritual politics, Stalin had said: “Let me tell you this is the land of Periyar Anna (Dravidar Kazhagam founder EV Ramasamy Periyar) and Kalaignar (Karunanidhi)… such efforts in the past have ended in a fiasco.”
Meanwhile, top DMK leaders and other party members have pledged support to Stalin at the party’s Executive Committee meeting held today. Stalin’s elevation to the post of party president will be decided by the DMK’s General Council. A meeting for it is yet to be announced.
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