Rajini to not be CM candidate for his party? Tamilaruvi Manian brushes off strategy

In a recently concluded meeting with district functionaries of the Rajini Makkal Mandram, the actor reportedly said that he did not want to become Chief Minister.
Rajini to not be CM candidate for his party?  Tamilaruvi Manian brushes off strategy
Rajini to not be CM candidate for his party? Tamilaruvi Manian brushes off strategy

On March 5, in a meeting with district functionaries of the Rajini Makkal Mandram, actor turned politician Rajinikanth delivered some stunning news. According to members of RMM, he stated that he does not want to be the Chief Ministerial face of his soon-to-be-launched political party. And while functionaries have resolutely refused to accept this, leaders close to the actor and political experts point out that this decision could go two ways.

Rajinikanth first expressed his desire to join politics on December 31, 2017 but has since then not given a clear indication when his party will be launched. And while he has said before that his party will contest the 2021 elections, there is yet to be an announcement on candidates or even a name for the party. So, his reported claims about the lack of interest in being Chief Minister has led to disillusion amongst both members of RMM and his fans.

However, Gandhiya Makkal Iyakkam's Tamilaruvi Manian, who is close to the actor tells TNM that this statement should not be taken at face value.

"The question of him not coming is ruled out. There is nothing like that. He has to come. If someone else is propped up then that person won't be right for the role," says Tamilaruvi Manian. "He will be Chief Minister because that is what people want. Whatever even these district leaders are saying is just speculation," he adds.

Born in Maharashtra, more than once, Rajinikanth has been labelled an 'outsider' by his detractors. Though there was buzz that Rajini's announcement was to counter this,  Tamilaruvi Manian says that the 'outsider' tag will not work against Rajinikanth's plans.

"Some parties are trying to make it seem like he does not have Tamil interest at heart. But he has spent over 40 years of his life here. Even an MGR (Former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran) is an outsider by their logic but people accepted him," he points out.

 Senior journalist and political expert Bharath meanwhile points out that Rajinikanth's statement to his supporters could work in his favour.

"If he decides to not aim for the Chief Minister's seat and instead focuses on the party, he could change the way politics is done in Tamil Nadu," he says. "It is a clever strategy to say I don't want the money or the fame. Instead he will focus on garnering votes while the leaders in place can concentrate on governance. However the pitfall for such a plan is that in Tamil Nadu, it is always about personality politics. Whoever he props us will be pitted against MK Stalin and will fall short on the personality scale,” he adds.

But Bharath too points out that the actor himself has remained mum on the subject.

“Till Rajinikanth himself says to the public he doesn’t want to the Chief Ministerial face, we can’t take these claims seriously,” he says. 

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