Actor Rajinikanth pens a note to his fans reiterating that he won’t be entering politics owing to his poor health. ‘I’ve told my decision. I request you to not hurt me by holding such demonstrations in the future demanding that I come to politics,” he wrote.
“Some of my fans, along with expelled cadres of the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM), have protested in Chennai against my decision of not entering politics. I appreciate you all for conducting a gathering following protocols and SOPs. I thank all those RMM members who didn’t participate the demonstration because of the instructions from RMM leadership[sic.],” he said.
This comes as a response to a massive demonstration held by over 1,000 supporters who gathered at Valluvar Kottam on Sunday, 10 January, demanding that the superstar joins politics as promised earlier.
“I have already detailed my reasons as to why I can’t enter politics,” the note read.
The protest took place despite the actor giving a detailed explanation about the risks to his health if he contracts coronavirus and apologised to his supporters for withdrawing from the electoral race.
RMM’s office-bearer Sudhakar and the 38 district secretaries of the actor’s outfit had instructed its members to stay away from the protests.
In a letter to his supporters on 29 December 2020, Rajinikanth had said that political rallies might attract larger crowds and meeting lakhs of people during the pandemic which would prove to be risky.
The actor had also told that he is currently taking immunosuppressant drugs and given that the virus keeps changing its form, even a vaccine will not be sufficient to protect him.
Rajinikanth had also candidly accepted the criticism that would follow his announcement to quit politics. “Only I understand the pain of making this announcement,” he said in his letter.
This comes after he was hospitalised in Hyderabad having suffered from severe hypertension. He was advised by doctors to not strain himself and abstain from activities that would put him at a risk of contracting COVID-19.
The actor was supposed to launch his party in January, ahead of the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled for April-May.
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