Rajinikanth eyeing launch of his party: Fans toil for his blockbuster entry

“Nilam unakku adhigaram, nilam namakku vaazhkkai… urimai.” (Land is power for you, for us it is our life, our right). Set in the slums of Dharavi in Mumbai, Rajinikanth’s ‘Kaala’ (2018) was meant to churn the Dravidian political cauldron. The film flopped at the box office and it did little for his political venture. But, it set his political agenda.

It was a year after J Jayalalithaa’s death that Rajnikanth publicly disclosed for the first time (on December 31, 2017) his intentions to enter politics. “It is certain that I am entering politics,” the actor declared during an event in Chennai. He said he would pursue ‘spiritual politics’ and register and streamline his fan clubs which constitute the backbone of his political party.

True to his word, the Rajini Rasigar Mandram changed to Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM). An army of his fans across Tamil Nadu regrouped under a political structure, just like the established parties. Each district unit of the RMM was led by a secretary with functionaries heading units at the municipal, town, council, village panchayat and booth levels. One district unit has been packed with at least 5,000 functionaries.

A massive membership drive was also launched. “I have immense faith in Rajini. He is Tamil Nadu’s future leader and its hope,” said RMM’s Kumbakonam panchayat deputy secretary D Deva, 49. When Jayalalithaa led the AIADMK, he was her ardent loyalist. But with the leader’s death, Deva saw a new political beginning in RMM.

On November 8, Rajinikanth cleared the last of the doubts about his political sojourn when he talked about a leadership vacuum in TN. When the time comes, senior functionaries of the Makkal Mandram are confident that second line leaders and functionaries of the AIADMK, DMK, Congress, PMK, DMDK and the VCK would desert their parties to join them. While the political manoeuvres will pick up pace closer to polls, strategists and brand positioning experts, are awaiting their turn. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor had met him twice.

“The primary challenge as I see is the transitioning of his brand image as the ‘thalaivar of cinema’ to that of politics,” said poll strategist Jhon Arokiasamy. “With his undisputed cinematic charisma, he has the potential to disrupt the political space,” he said. But, in the multi-cornered contest scenario expected in the 2021 assembly election, Rajinikanth would have to follow the right mix of leadership and strategy to match his rivals.

On the sidelines, RMM functionaries have been wooing voters with their anti-dengue initiatives and social work. RMM’s Krishnagiri unit led by district secretary K V S Srinivasan helped build a school compound wall. The outfit’s Thanjavur district secretary R Rajini Ganesan said a 1,000-member team would be deployed to help devotees during the consecration ceremony at the Brihadeeshwara temple in February. At a meeting of the district unit on November 12, about 1,500 members led by Ganesan met and took an oath to make their ‘thalaivar’ TN’s next CM.

“People want change. They believe Rajinikanth will give them clean governance,” said close associate and advisor Tamilaruvi Manian. But, in 2021 assembly election, the actor would be 71 when he finally dons the poll battle gear. “Morarji Desai was 81 when he became Prime Minister of a non-Congress government in 1977,” pointed out Manian.

The disadvantages, however, far outweigh the positives, the most significant being the lack of consolidation of major caste groups in Rajinikanth’s favour. AIADMK co-coordinator and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy CM O Panneerselvam have been assiduously cultivating their caste pocket boroughs — gounders and thevars. “Rajini will lead an alliance, without the AIADMK or DMK,” said Manian. As of now, RMM is looking at aligning with the Forward Bloc, which has some support among the thevars, the Republican Party of India with its scheduled caste base, and some fringe Muslim groups.

‘Kaala’, which released six months after he firmed up his decision to enter politics, saw the actor taking up the cause of landless dalits and taking on the villain, a minister of a saffron party. There were hard political messages. But, for now, the actor is holding his cards close to his chest.

Given the late start, can Rajinikanth make it? For N T Rama Rao, it was just nine months between launching his political party and becoming the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. M G Ramachandran launched ADMK in 1972 and became CM in 1977 though he was in politics for several years. Rajinikanth began toying with politics 23 years ago, in 1996, when his “even god can’t save Tamil Nadu if Jayalalithaa wins” contributed to the DMKTMC’s victory.