Rattled by persistent speculation that he was instrumental in the attempt to prop up a coalition government of traditional rivals, DMK and AIADMK, to deny the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) of Vijay, which emerged as the single largest party, a shot at power, superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday clarified that he was not so cheap to indulge in such a move.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Rattled by persistent speculation that he was instrumental in the attempt to prop up a coalition government of traditional rivals, DMK and AIADMK, to deny the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) of Vijay, which emerged as the single largest party, a shot at power, superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday clarified that he was not so cheap to indulge in such a move.
“It is below my dignity to play such a role. I’ll never stoop to such a level,” he told the media at a hurriedly convened media interaction at his residence in Poes Garden in Chennai. “Since there are many reports and criticisms about me after the election results were out, I felt it was necessary to clarify my position,” he said. “I would have swept the election in the past had I entered the fray,” he pointed out.
Advertisement
Whether it was a coincidence or not, it was only after Rajinikanth called on former Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin that the DMK and the AIADMK engaged in talks to form a coalition government to stymie Vijay’s prospects of securing the numbers for a majority. However, the plan floundered when the Left smelt a rat and made it clear to the DMK that it would not support such an arrangement. While the TVK secured 107 MLAs, it still required 11 more for a majority in the 234-member House. Besides the support of the Congress (5), the TVK had enlisted the support of the DMK’s allies, the CPI, CPI(M), VCK and the IUML, each with two MLAs, enabling Vijay to win the trust vote eventually.
Advertisement
“I have met Stalin sir as we have been friends for over 38 to 40 years. Our friendship is not constrained by politics or ideology, but extends beyond such boundaries. Victory and defeat are common in a democracy. I went to meet a friend because I was disturbed by Stalin’s loss in Kolathur constituency,” the movie icon explained.
Making it abundantly clear that he was not jealous of Vijay’s victory, the superstar said, “It is a great victory. At a young age of 52, he has accomplished this, and he is from the film industry. It is bigger than what MGR (AIADMK founder and actor-turned-former CM) and NT Rama Rao (Telugu Desam founder and actor-turned-former Andhra Pradesh CM) have achieved,” adding, “I am astounded and happy at Vijay’s victory.”
“Why should I be jealous of Vijay? I’ve seen him grow up as a kid. There is a generational gap of over 28 or so years between Vijay and me,” he maintained, adding in a lighter vein, “If I were to be jealous at all, it would have been if Kamal Haasan had become the CM! But, even then, I would not.”
“Contrary to the criticism levelled against me that I have not congratulated Vijay, I had posted my best wishes for him on ‘X’ immediately after the results were out. “I wanted to clarify my position earlier, but since the media wasn’t there at the airport on two or three occasions, I called for this presser,” was his explanation.
To a question on his fiery opposition to the then CM, Jayalalithaa in 1996, when he stayed away from taking the political plunge but helped the DMK and Tamil Manila Congress (TMC) reap a huge electoral dividend, he said, “I would have swept the elections. I would have… 100 per cent.” However, he ducked a query about whether it was a case of a missed opportunity.
Advertisement
