Just days after actor Rajinikanth put to rest all chatter on his entry into politics, his team has issued a notice that members of the Rajini Makkal Mandram have been told they are free to resign and join other parties.
Since the actor made the announcement, several district chiefs of the outfit have joined Tamil Nadu's main opposition party, DMK.
"They shouldn't forget they are always Rajini fans even if they join other parties," the notice read.
Ramanathapuram A Joseph Stalin, K Senthil Selvan and Theni district secretary R Ganesan joined the DMK over the weekend, in the presence of M K Stalin, party deputy general secretary A Raja, organising secretary R S Bharati and other senior leaders.
Several other senior party functionaries will be joining the party in the coming days, a source in DMK told The Quint.
'Will Serve People Without Entering Electoral Politics’: Rajini
In an announcement that came as a huge disappointment to fans, actor Rajinikanth on 29 December, said that he will not launch his political party as scheduled on account of his poor health.
A massive demonstration was held by over 1,000 supporters who gathered at Valluvar Kottam on Sunday, 10 January, demanding that the superstar join politics as promised earlier.
Actor Rajinikanth then shared 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.
In a three-page letter, the actor had said, "With extreme sadness I say that I can't enter politics. I alone know the pain I went through while announcing this decision. Without entering electoral politics, I will serve the people. This decision of mine will disappoint my fans and people but please forgive me”, citing ill health as well as the new strain of coronavirus as reasons for him to reconsider his decision.
Rajinikanth was set to announce a date for the launch of his political party on 31 December. The launch was tentatively scheduled for January, five months before the state elections in Tamil Nadu.
No Longer BJP’s Trump Card?
In the past few months, speculations have been rife about the actor’s association with the saffron party. RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy too, had met with Rajinikanth several times and reportedly insisted that he should reconsider his plans on staying away from politics. The BJP reportedly had wanted the actor to speak up for the saffron party and build their image which could make inroads into the vote banks of the Dravidian parties.
This assertion is being seen as a clear response from the actor that nobody, including the BJP, can count on Rajinikanth's support. Sources had told The Quint that leaders in the BJP were hoping the actor would extend support even though he was not in active politics.
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