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Superstar Rajinikanth denied speculations that he played any role in attempts to bring together the DMK and AIADMK after Vijay led the TVK to a historic electoral victory in Tamil Nadu and became Chief Minister, asserting that he was “not a person to make such moves.”
Addressing a press meet on Sunday, May 17 in Chennai amid intense political speculation following the Assembly election results, Rajinikanth clarified that his recent meeting with DMK president MK Stalin was purely out of friendship and had no political agenda.
“After the election results came, I met Stalin. He has been my friend for the last 38 to 40 years. In politics, victory and defeat are common, but when Stalin lost in Kolathur, I felt sad. So I went to meet him as a friend,” Rajinikanth said.
He added, “After that, many allegations came up saying that I went there to stop Vijay from becoming Chief Minister and to discuss a coalition between the two major parties to stop Vijay. I am not a person who engages in such conversations.”
Rajinikanth’s clarification comes days after he met Stalin at the latter’s residence in Chennai on May 6, triggering speculation on social media over possible backchannel political discussions after the DMK’s electoral defeat. TVK swept to power with 108 seats, while the DMK was pushed into the Opposition with 59 seats. Stalin himself lost the Kolathur constituency by a margin of around 8,700 votes.
The veteran actor also dismissed allegations that he was jealous of Vijay’s meteoric political rise, saying he was instead “surprisingly happy” to witness a major political change in Tamil Nadu.
“Why should I be envious of Vijay? Vijay and I have a generation gap of 25 years. We cannot be compared. I have been watching him since he was very young. When he won by defeating these two huge parties after coming from the film industry, I was not envious. In fact, I was surprisingly happy,” Rajinikanth said.
The actor also said that a political change was necessary after six decades of Dravidian parties dominating Tamil Nadu politics, and that Vijay had emerged at the right time.
Responding to criticism that he had not publicly congratulated Vijay after the election victory, Rajinikanth said he had already posted his wishes on X soon after the results were announced.
“Immediately after the results, I posted my wishes on X. Usually, when I go to the airport, the media comes and asks for my response. Before leaving for Bangalore, I asked my bodyguard whether there was any media at the airport, but they said there was no one. Suddenly, one person came with a phone and asked for my response. I did not feel that it was a media interaction, so I just smiled and left. After that, controversy arose saying that I had not wished Vijay,” he added.
It was on May 10 that Vijay took charge as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, in one of the most dramatic political rises in the state’s history.