Reports stating that Superstar Rajinikanth has announced his support to Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections have been denied by the spokesperson of the party.
According to a report on Republic TV, Kamal Haasan, during an interview to a vernacular daily, had stated that Rajinikanth had assured support to MNM during the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to Silverscreen, Mandavi Sharma, national media manager of MNM, dismissed the reports as rumours.
Previous instances where Haasan has spoken about Rajinikanth would suffice to serve as evidence of this. Haasan revealed during a recent interview with TNM that Rajinikanth had advised him against participating in the Lok Sabha polls. “But, I didn’t take it. I may not be contesting but I’ve put everything, including my money, into this election. I believe in it and I believe in the people I have chosen to contest in these elections.”
In an interview with NDTV, Haasan was asked if he thought Rajinikanth should support him as the 2.0 actor was not contesting this time around. Haasan responded by saying it was entirely up to Rajinikanth. “I don’t tell even the voters to vote ‘only for MNM.’ I tell them that if they looked for the good party, they would definitely find us. I think it’s only statesmanly to not coerce people into voting. It should rather be about convincing them.”
“So if Mr Rajini is convinced, he will support the right party,” added the actor. Though Rajinikanth had announced his plunge into politics, he had said that he would not be contesting in the Lok Sabha polls.
Recommended
The first list of 21 candidates MNM released included lawyers, doctors, teachers, activists and an ex-IPS officer. The party has announced candidates for all 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry. The party received a setback when CK Kumaravel, founder and CEO of Naturals Salons, quit the organisation citing internal politics. Later, MNM released a statement saying that the businessman had violated party principles by declaring himself as a candidate for the upcoming elections, and this had led them to accept his resignation.