Will the rivalry between superstar Rajnikanth and “ulaga naayagan” Kamal Haasan extend to the quicksand of politics as well? It looks to be so as things are fast evolving. Warmth, friendly demeanour and co-operation between the two looks just a wishful thinking.
Will the rivalry between superstar Rajinikanth and “ulaga naayagan” Kamal Haasan extend to the quicksand of politics as well? It looks to be so as things are fast evolving. Warmth, friendly demeanour and co-operation between the two looks just a wishful thinking.
With the decision of 63-year-old Kamal Haasan to launch his party on Feb 21 and tour the State, the political situation in Tamil Nadu is getting hotter. Already 67-year-old Rajinikanth has announced that he would soon undertake a state-wide tour to strengthen his proposed but yet to be named party.
While Kamal entered the Tamil film industry as a child actor as early as 1960, Rajinikanth managed a minor role only 15 years later. However, within the next few years, Rajini emerged from the shadows of Kamal with whom he had acted as a villain in a handful of films.Then there was no looking back and he has become a legend like the former matinee idol and Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran with a phenomenal fan following.
These announcements have put the well-entrenched players in the State including the AIADMK and the DMK in a real quandary.
Thus Tamil Nadu offers the most exciting political scenario at present with several developments, of course with myriad confusing signals. Gone are the days that only the two Dravidian majors- DMK and AIADMK- used to rule the roost. Now even God would find it difficult to track the developments and predict what exactly is in store for the State.
The premature demise of the AIADMK supremo and former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was the trigger for these developments. Added to this is the incapacitation of the DMK patriarch and five-time Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and thus a political vacuum has been created.
This vacuum has started sucking several biggies into the political vortex.
Rajini moves fast:
The first to come off the block is superstar Rajinikanth who announced his entry into politics on the last day of last year. In his inimitable style, which has always been extremely cagey, he chose not to launch any party on that day. But he still announced that he would launch a new party, contest all the seats in the State Assembly but would not join hands with anybody. Even the name of the party would be announced only just ahead of the State Assembly elections. He also was categorical that his party would not contest in the local body elections as the time for that is "too short".
At the same time, he left the decision on contesting the elections for Lok Sabha in 2019 hanging.
All that he has done concretely so far is the launching of an app to enrol his fans as party volunteers. Besides, he has announced that he would undertake a state-wide tour to have a first hand knowledge of what is happening around.
Kamal also jumps into the fray:
Kamal Haasan, who has been evincing keen interest in politics and voicing several views critical of the Government for quite some time, has declared that he would launch his party on Feb 21 and begin his tour from Ramanathapuram, his native district. He stepped into politics after accusing the Edappadi K. Palaniswami government of corruption and bad governance. He is also planning to launch a whistle-blower app this month. Maiyam Whistle, the app, aims to encourage and enable citizens to expose corruption in the state. The actor had tacitly expressed his interest to work with superstar Rajinikanth, who, too, desires to start a political revolution in Tamil Nadu. Talking about what his political strategy would be, Kamal wrote in his column in a popular Tamil magazine, "I'd not antagonise my friends to secure my position like usual politicians. Nor is the youth ready to continue under such leadership. I'd attempt to reach out to elders and friends too."
While Rajinikanth has asked his supporters not to speak on politics and focus on a grass-root-level build-up, Mr. Haasan said he is n't hungry for power but will seize the opportunity to deliver to the people and rid the state of corruption.
Kamal said he was being cautious as he wants to build an organisation that would outlast him.
Opinion poll puts Rajini far ahead of Kamal:
Around 20 per cent of the AIADMK's voters would shift loyalty towards political debutant Rajinikanth if Tamil Nadu held elections today, according to an India Today-Karvy Insights opinion poll.
A first-timer in electoral politics, Rajinikanth appears to be making impressive inroads into the base of both the AIADMK and the DMK.
As high as 20 percent of the AIADMK supporters and 14 per cent of the DMK's in the 2016 elections are likely to vote in Rajini’s favour and he has been forecast to bag 33 of the 234 seats in the State Assembly.
Corruption, price rise and unemployment have emerged as key issues for Tamil Nadu's resident.
Half of the respondents rated DMK leader M.K. Stalin as their most preferred choice for the chief minister's job, followed by Rajinikanth (17 per cent). The current leadership of the faction-ridden AIADMK trailed the star distantly.
Only four per cent favoured Kamal Haasan as a future chief minister.
Rajinikanth, according to the poll, has been found to be more popular than these potential competitors in western Tamil Nadu and among the youth. He secured 16 per cent of the total vote share in the poll.
The survey says there will be a substantial loss to the ruling AIADMK party that won 135 seats in 2016 Assembly elections with a vote share of over 40 per cent.
The opposition DMK+ alliance - that includes the DMK, the Congress, and the IUML - will get 130 seats with a vote share of 34 per cent. Rajinikanth's party will win 33 seats with a vote share of 16 per cent. The survey says there will be negligible impact of Kamal Haasan.
A clear majority of 65 per cent respondents felt that Tamil Nadu is facing a political vacuum after the demise of J Jayalalitha and this has adversely impacted the quality of governance in the state. More than half feel that the AIADMK will disintegrate in the absence of Jayalalithaa.
The poll suggests the AIADMK is facing a serious issue of retaining its voter base. One of every three AIADMK voter (2016 elections) has decided not to vote for the same party this time. Around 60 per cent of these dissatisfied voters are turning towards Rajinikanth’s party while other 26 per cent are moving towards the DMK.
The DMK is also witnessing some shift in its voter base towards Rajinikanth's party, though its voter base is relatively intact when compared to the AIADMK. One of every five DMK voter (2016 elections) has decided not to vote for the party and 63 per cent of these voters are shifting towards Rajinikanth's party.
Rajinikanth's party is making a notable beginning in Tamil Nadu politics with 16 per cent vote share and that too, when the formal party name or symbol has not been announced yet. The superstar-turned-politician has also not started any campaign, and therefore his party would be an important political force in the next Assembly election.
Within the AIADMK, there is no clear picture emerging in terms of who can be the true inheritor of Jayalalitha’s legacy. While O. Panneerselvam has an edge over EK Palaniswami, there is no consensus amongst the respondents. More than 30 per cent actually feel that no one from the existing AIADMK leadership, including O. Panneerselvam, E.K. Palaniswami, TTV Dhinakaran, Deepa Jayakumar, and Sasikala Natarajan can be the true inheritor of Jayalalitha’s legacy. This highlights the leadership crisis within the party.
Meanwhile, S. Gurumurthy, Editor of Thuglak magazine who is considered very close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Kamal's ideology matches with the Dravidian politics, while that of Rajinikanth's is inclined towards the BJP.
Gurumurthy said: If there is a situation where BJP and Rajnikanth can work together, say, there is Narendra Modi photo on one side and Rajinikanth photo on the other then we need not worry about the future of Tamil Nadu."