On January 1, 2018, Rajinikanth fans were the happiest lot, as they woke up to the news that their macho hero will soon shine as a political superstar and would occupy the space vacated by Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi. And now, with just three more months to go for the end of 2018, it seems Rajinikanth is all set to launch his political outfit. The fans, who are still waiting to see their superstar get into active politics, might have to wait just till December, precisely till his birthday which falls on December 12.
“Rajinikanth will launch his political outfit very soon. He will float his party in December,” said A.C. Shanmugam, a former minister in MGR’s cabinet who hosted an event for Rajinikanth in April this year. It was at the MGR centenary celebrations, organised by Shanmugam at his MGR university premises, that Rajinikanth said he will implement “MGR model of governance in the state.”
On December 31, 2017, after a five-day interaction with his fans, the Kaala star said he would float his political outfit and will contest from all 234 assembly constituencies. “My political entry is confirmed. This is the need of the hour,” he said. He called for a transparent system of governance and wowed to uproot corruption once elected to power. He also said his will be “spiritual politics,” by which he meant honest politics. However, nine months down the line, the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) is still in its incubation stage. While there are several reports that the RMM is gaining strength and office bearers are being appointed in various districts for it, Rajinikanth is yet to speak out about the launch of his political outfit.
The RMM, sources say, has already enrolled over two million members and it has district councils and executive committees in place. It is said that there are around 65,000 branch secretaries to take care of the polling booths. In fact, a few months ago, Rajinikanth met many of the Mandram executives and had extensive discussions on politics and issues in each district. However, Rajinikanth did not refute news reports on the removal of his trusted lieutenant Raju Mahalingam from the post of RMM secretary. Also his longtime associate and the head of Rajini fan clubs V.M. Sudhakar is off the radar these days. And on August 29, a 36-page rule book was released. The rule book had several guidelines that the members should follow, right from having no bad habits. In the book's foreword, Rajinikanth said that the guidelines are framed “to strengthen and streamline the operations of the party.” However, Rajinikanth, after the rule book was released, went back to North India to shoot his upcoming film Petta produced by Sun Pictures, which is likely to hit the screens soon.
Given the widespread perceptions of a leadership vacuum in the state, Rajinikanth, who once said that he will follow the “MGR way”, is still a superstar actor, waiting for the right time to take an active political plunge.
