Where does Rajinikanth stand on Cauvery issue, asks Tamil Nadu minister
- Political parties in Tamil Nadu have painted Rajinikanth as the outsider.
- Identity politics has now taken over the state but the actor's message to his base is that of change.
- Rajinikanth is rumoured to meet PM Modi this week.
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Rajinikanth’s foray into politics isn’t confirmed yet but political parties in Tamil Nadu are trying to paint him as the outsider, the “other” who doesn’t have a place in the state’s political milieu. In the past few days, a string of criticism challenging his knowledge of politics, his identity and his credibility as a statesman have been levelled at him.
The latest to question the Kollywood superstar’s political ambition was AIADMK Minister SP Velumani. He asked where Rajinikanth;s loyalties lie in the Cauvery issue. He stated that the actor was quiet when Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments fought for the release of Cauvery water.
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Velumani went further to remind people that Rajinikanth isn’t a tamilian nor is he from Tamil Nadu. He brought up the controversy surrounding Baahubali 2’s release in Karmataka, saying that Rajinikanth was quiet when kannadigas protested against tamil actor Sathyaraj’s comments on the Cauvery problem.
However, Velumani isn’t the only politician to question the Kollywood actor’s political dreams. PMK spokesperson K. Balu was critical of Rajinikanth’s praise for the party’s youth leader, Anbumani Ramadoss. “We have seen such tactical politics for long. We will not be carried away by his remarks lauding Anbumani and start hailing Rajinikanth. We are not asking the actor to quit the state since he came from other state, but people linked to cinema should not rule the state hereadfter,” he said according to Deccan Chronicle.
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To be sure, Rajinikanth himself acknowledged his outsider status in Tamil Nadu. During a recent meet and greet with fans, he said the love from the people has made him a “true tamilian.” In fact, the actor reached out to his fans with a message of change cutting across all sections of the society. If Rajinikanth does indeed start his own political party, this could be the theme on which he secures his base of supporters.
So far, sources have said that Rajinikanth will float his own political party. However, the actor is supposed to meet PM Modi this week, said a source to The Indian Express. “The BJP contacted him yesterday for a meeting with Modiji this week. Details are not yet finalised,” the source said.
