Waiting for Godot: Superstar Rajinikanth leaves fans puzzled

CHENNAI: Will he? Won’t he? Rajinikanth’s fans are still confused. Thursday’s statement, which was supposed to remove confusions and provide clarity, has left them further puzzled. The actor-turned-aspiring politician made several strong remarks. A significant one of them was the dismantling of party posts. 

Speaking on Thursday, he said one of the biggest problems plaguing existing political parties is the tradition of providing designations or posts to almost every functionary. “The posts continue to exist after elections, and many functionaries make it a source of livelihood. They use it to win tenders, contracts, and thereby unleash corruption on the government,” he said. 

He then went on to say that after elections, such posts will be dismantled in his party. Only if his followers are willing to accept this idea will he enter politics, he said. Veteran journalist Tharasu Shyam sees this as the actor’s reluctance to enter the fray. “His stance has not changed much since 1996,” says Shyam. “He is indirectly conveying that he won’t launch a party or enter politics.”  

Shyam felt the same way about Rajini not wanting to take up the Chief Minister post. Raj Soundhar, a former member of the Rajinikanth Fans Association, says his followers will not accept the dismantling of posts.

“This will cause a lot of confusion. One or the other, there is an election once every three years at the least. It appears he is not mentally prepared. Thursday’s statement seems to be to appease the fans.”   
Detractors also found fault with his idea of choosing a ‘young, educated, and farsighted’ Chief Minister candidate.

“Time is too short. Assembly elections are almost here. Thalaivar wants us to take these ideas to people, make them understand that CM and party chief will be different persons. But, we are not sure we have enough time to convince them,” says a district secretary of Rajini Makkal Mandram. Many other fans and functionaries are confused too. “Even senior political leaders like Vaiko and Anbumani Ramadoss have failed to make an impact when projected as future Chief Ministers.

Then, how can we find a new face that will be accepted by the people in such a short span of time,” asks another district secretary. Probably, the next statement will hold more clues on that front.