india

Updated: Nov 14, 2019 16:45 IST

Superstar and aspiring politician Rajinikanth has found an unlikely supporter in MK Alagiri, the ousted DMK leader and elder son of late M Karunanidhi, over his comment about a political vacuum in Tamil Nadu.

Rajinikanth had claimed earlier this month that the death of former chief ministers, J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi, had left a void in state politics.

And, the DMK was the first to deny Rajinikanth’s claim, saying its party president MK Stalin had filled the vacuum after patriarch Karunanidhi’s death.

MK Alagiri said on Thursday he agreed with Rajinikanth’s statement that a political void continues in the state after the death of the Dravidian leaders.

The former Union minister also said the actor is the right person to fill in that void.

“Of course, there is a vacuum that exists for good leadership in Tamil Nadu. I hope Rajinikanth would fill that vacuum,” the current DMK president MK Stalin’s elder brother said while speaking with reporters in Chennai.

Alagiri, who was once a DMK strong man in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu with his south zone organiser position, was removed from the party in 2014 for making anti-party statements.

The then DMK president Karunanidhi had accused Alagiri of going against his brother Stalin in January 2014. In the Alagiri-Stalin feud, Karunanidhi had backed Stalin.

Even as Alagiri tried to pacify his brother after their father’s death, Stalin did re-admit him into the party.

The ruling AIADMK had also tackled Rajinikanth over his comment and said that he was just an actor and has not even launched a political party.

“There is no vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics now. After winning the Vikravandi and Nanguneri assembly by-polls last month, we have proved that there is no vacuum in Tamil Nadu,” AIADMK coordinator and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had responded to Rajinikanth last week.

The DMK’s treasurer S Duraimurugan claimed MK Stalin had filled the political vacuum in Tamil Nadu.

“Stalin has emerged as a strong leader after his father Karunanidhi. Under the leadership of Stalin, the DMK got a splendid mandate from Tamil Nadu’s people in the April Lok Sabha polls. The DMK alliance won 38 out of 39 LS seats in TN,” Duraimurugan pointed out.

Political observers said that Alagiri, who has been away from the political scene for more than four years, may throw all his weight behind Rajinikanth whenever the actor launches his party.

“Rajini declared he would plunge into the full-time politics ahead of the 2021 state assembly polls. Alagiri, who could not get access into the DMK, is aiming for a political entry of Rajini,” said S Ramesh, a political observer.

“Alagiri’s statement confirms that DMK is no longer a hope for the former union minister and he wants to go onboard into Rajini party,” Ramesh, who is also Madras High Court lawyer, added.

Before his comment on Rajinikanth, Alagiri had met the BJP’s national secretary H Raja on Wednesday. Alagiri had said he just visited to wish Raja’s daughter ahead of her wedding.

Rajinikanth made an announcement that he would take a political plunge in December 2016. Subsequently, the actor converted his Rajini Fans Club as Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) in 2017.

The RMM is most likely to be converted into a political party.