Rajinikanth turns Rajini Makkal Mandram into a welfare organization

Khevna.P.Shah, INN/Bangalore

@Shahkhevna1, @Infodeaofficial

Actor Rajinikanth disappointed the fans by announcing his withdrawal from politics.

He declared he had no intention of entering politics, silencing all rumors of his much anticipated political entry to rest, he dissolved the Rajini Makkal Mandram, an organization of fan clubs that has been acting as a precursor to his political party.

Like his movies, Rajinikanth’s entry into politics has had its share of twists and turns. And at this very time, the people of Tamil Nadu was waiting holding their breath for the superstar’s big-bang entry into the political arena, but he canceled the plan citing health reasons and pandemic.

The actor held a meeting with various party members where he said he will announce his final decision on whether he will be entering politics or not, and also the future course of the party would also be decided at the meeting. In a statement released to the media after the meeting, he also said he was not taking the political plunge and that the organization would operate for welfare initiatives from here on. “I have no intention of getting involved in politics, so the Rajini Makkal Mandram will function”, and the party members of the Rajini Makkal Mandram will continue to be part of the Rajinikanth Fan Club Association, which will solely be devoted to public welfare.

Rajinikanth had been dallying with the idea of entering Tamil Nadu politics ever since he made a dramatic announcement on 2017, New Year’s Eve.

His fans were ecstatic and there was speculation that he would contest the state elections that took place in April this year. He said he would launch his party in January 2021. However, he kept it under suspense till December 2020, when he finally broke the news of withdrawing from politics due to the pandemic and health concerns.

According to a few analysts had predicted that Rajinikanth’s entry into politics would be more than a brief spoiler for the AIADMK and the DMK as they felt the actor, unlike Kamal Haasan, had more “mass appeal” or public favoritism that he could have given the two Dravidian parties a run for their money. And because of this, Rajnikanth’s entry into politics might be a relief for some or worry for others.

In  2017 when Rajinikanth had announced his intention to enter politics, many political observers were not expecting him to make an impact like one made by MG Ramachandran, NT Rama Rao, or J Jayalalithaa, but his entry would’ve surely changed the course of Tamil Nadu’s political spectrum.

Aspire Swaminathan, AIADMK leader told India Today, “He was never in electoral politics. He only wanted to enter politics. I don’t see any logic that BJP forced Rajini to start a party. AIADMK would not have lost anything even if Rajinikanth had launched a party.”Further adding to that, “AIADMK had consistently maintained 26 to 27 percent vote share for the last 35 years. The organization’s core strength remains. As a party, we are strong. And we have delivered 10 years of good governance and people are happy.”

On the other hand, the DMK leadership had consciously decided not to speak about Rajinikanth’s entry into politics. However, a senior party leader told India Today, “We did not want to engage in commenting on someone who did not launch a party. Our local rival is AIADMK, and ideologically, we are at war with the BJP. There is no need to even endorse others.”

 Superstar Rajinikanth stated in one of his press releases that he was not able to enter politics and also has no plans to intervene in politics in the future.