Tamil Nadu

‘I am not a full-time politician yet’: Rajinikanth while on Himalayan pilgrimage

Written by : TNM Staff

"I have not become a full-time politician. I have not announced my party. I don't want to talk anything about politics (now)," he told reporters at the Dayanand Saraswati Ashram in Rishikesh, where he will engage in meditation for a few days.

Rajinikanth was replying to a question by reporters about barbs by actor-politician Kamal Haasan that he was not speaking up on political issues. Kamal Hassan had earlier said that he will not criticise Rajinikanth the individual but will criticise his party’s ideology and politics if he does disagree with it in the future.

“After Rajinikanth starts his political party and announces his ideology, if we have any criticism for it, we will be tough with it and if we have appreciation for it, we will be open about it,” Kamal had said earlier at a media event.  

Rajinikanth, who had last week announced that he has entered politics to fill the vacuum in Tamil Nadu left to Rishikesh on Tuesday after a short trip to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. He had also visited Shiva cave in Jammu. 

He pointed out that he had come to the Himalayas on a spiritual journey and it has nothing to do with starting his political party. Rajinkanth has been known to visit the Himalayas frequently over the past decade. 

“This is not the first time as I have come here many times. Spiritualism is to realise oneself," he said.

 Kamal’s words come a few days after Rajinikanth’s speech to a crowd on March 5 where he announced that he would ‘rule like MGR’.

Meanwhile, BJP's Tamil Nadu chief Tamilisai Soundararajan has hit out at both Kamal and Rajinikanth while addressing the media in Tirupur. She has said, "People who can't manage in the film industry think they can save Tamil Nadu politics."

(with inputs from IANS)

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