‘Never aspired to be CM,’ says Rajinikanth, no word on party launch

In a long speech in Chennai, Rajinikanth said, “Entering politics before cleaning up the system is like cooking sweet pongal in a fish curry vessel.”

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Actor and still-aspiring politician Rajinikanth on Thursday once again created a buzz around his political entry – however, he stalled the announcement about the launch of his party again. Speaking at the Leela Palace hotel in Chennai on Thursday morning, Rajini said he has never aspired to be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and refused to take questions following his speech.

Addressing fans, members of the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) and the media, Rajinikanth said, "I have never wanted to be Chief Minister. In fact, I can't even think of sitting in the Assembly and going through those proceedings! I will be the party chief, and the CM will be someone who is educated, who is farsighted. He will be a person who can govern. And the party chief will be like an opposition leader -- we will be the first to question if anything wrong happens. We will not interfere with the governance -- there will not be two parallel power centres," he said.

Rajinikanth also made it clear that when his party is launched, he will only be the head of the party and not its CM face. “We will have someone young with ambition, drive, good social thinking, self respect as CM,” the actor said, that he will bring in people with good reputation, include judges and IAS officers and infuse new blood into politics. “I will be an instrument for this. I have worked in cinemas industry for 40 years and I hope the name I've earned will help in this,” he said.

Noting that his role will be that of a CEO post, Rajini said that although he has maintained that he doesn’t want any post or position, nobody accepted this - analysts, politicians and his members. He reiterated that he was not sacrificing any position.

Rajinikanth was seemingly disappointed with his fans and the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM). "A good follower is someone who listens to his leader. A leader who listens to everything his followers say is not a good leader," he said.

Further, Rajinikanth made sweeping statements about the power of the Dravidian giants, and hinted that it will be impossible for him to win in Tamil Nadu in front of the 'asura balam' -- demonic power -- of the DMK and AIADMK. "On the one side, he (Stalin) has to prove his legacy. They have legacy and money power, cadres. On the other side, they have the government and the power of the treasury. In between these two, if someone trusts me and comes into politics, won't I be making a sacrificial lamb out of them?" he asked. However, he quickly added that this was the right time for an alternative in Tamil Nadu politics as the two mammoths of Tamil Nadu polticis, Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, are no more.

"I want media to be united. You need to educate people. I am not 40 or 50. I am 71. If you don't accept what I'm saying now, how will you accept in five years? I need to see the revolution then I'll come to politics. This has to spread across TN. And even India," he said.

It was on December 31, 2017 that Rajinikanth first announced his desire to enter politics. What had been mere hints in his films took actual form on the stage of Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam as his fans cheered on. He then formed the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) and tasked them to gather support while he worked on the finer aspects of the formation. However, post that, the actor refrained from giving any details on when he will announce the launch or members of the party. He did maintain though that they will be contesting in the 2021 Assembly Elections.