Will Fill Vacuum in Tamil Nadu Politics, Can Repeat MGR’s Good Governance: Rajinikanth

Chennai, March 6: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Monday invoked the legacy of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran and said that he wants to fill the vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics after the death of Jayalal

Chennai, March 6: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Monday invoked the legacy of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran and said that he wants to fill the vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics after the death of Jayalalithaa in 2016. The popular actor, who announced to enter politics, also promised to give good governance to the people of Tamil Nadu.

The veteran actor also gave his first political speech to an audience at an event marking the birth centenary celebrations of MGR, as Ramachandran is popularly known.

“Like MGR, I can give you good governance, with the help of good advice of good people,” Rajinikanth said while addressing a large crowd of students, fans and supporters after he unveiled a statue of MGR at MGR University in Chennai.

The 67-year-old actor said that he wants to step in because of the vacuum created in the state after the sudden death of Jayalalithaa. He also said that he is confident of providing a government like that of MGR which ruled the Tamil Nadu state for almost a decade until he died in 1987.

Rajinikanth said that Tamil Nadu and people of the state are crying for a leader to guide them because the two towering leaders after MGR – J Jayalalithaa and DMK leader M Karunanidhi – are either dead or out of active politics.

In Tamil Nadu, MGR is referred as the benchmark of success in politics.

“In even 1,000 years, nobody can match MGR,” the actor said referring to criticism, especially from the ruling AIADMK, that not everyone can evaluate MGR’s success in politics.

Rajinikanth also said that he had learnt politics watching Karunanidhi and Amma.

“Several politicians have asked me: ‘Why are you joining politics, leaving the greasepaint and arc lights?’ It is because you people are not doing the job, I have to come to politics,” Rajinikanth said.

He also explained about spiritual politics saying that, “When I said spiritual politics, I meant spiritual to be cleanliness. My politics will be politics without caste and it will be clean”.

“I do not expect the existing political parties to welcome me when I am entering the politics. I also know that politics is not a bed of flower,” Rajinikanth said.

He also advised students to concentrate on their studies and know politics also. Today’s event comes days after Kamal Haasan launched his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam.

Last year in December, Rajinikanth had announced he will launch his political party and will contest on all 234 seats in the next assembly elections.