Actor turned politician and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) chief Vijayakanth said on Sunday that Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan were his political juniors. Speaking to reporters after an event on Sunday, Vijayakanth said, “May be in cinema they are my seniors, but in politics and starting a political party, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are my juniors.”
With the leadership vacuum left by the death of Jayalalilathaa and the ill-health of Karuranidhi, 2017 saw the emergence of actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth on Tamil Nadu’s political landscape. While both are yet to make official announcements of their party names, they have been working round the clock to get a party structure up and running.
Vijayakanth, who made his political entry 13 years ago in 2005, made a dent to the electoral situation in the state at the time, winning 10 percent of the vote share and wrestling votes away from both the traditional Dravidian parties, the DMK and the AIADMK. Vijayakanth went on to become the Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative assembly between 2011 and 2016. However, he was not able to maintain the vote share for long.
While Kamal became increasingly vocal on Twitter and aired his views against the functioning of the state government, Rajinikanth met his fans over the course of a week in December and announced his political entry on December 31 last year.
While both actors have launched political websites for people to sign up, they are yet to announce party names. Kamal Haasan has announced that he would undertake a state wide tour beginning February 21.
In his post-event interaction with the press in Ambattur, Vijayakanth also welcomed the NEET examination and said that it would ensure people cannot buy medical seats for lakhs of rupees. He added that problems regarding the national level examination for UG and PG medical seats are sorted.
When asked if BJP would be able to gain a foothold in the state, the DMDK chief said, “Whether they try by foot or by hand, they cannot gain a hold in the state.”
Vijayakanth also expressed his opposition to the unveiling of a statue in assembly of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Referring to her conviction in the Disproportionate Assets case, he asked, “How can you inaugurate a statue for A1(Accused number one)?”