If opposition parties gang up against one person, who is powerful, asks Rajinikanth

Rajinikanth on Tuesday issued a clarification a day after he said, "if opposition parties believe BJP is dangerous, then it must be".

Rajinikanth addressing reporters outside his Poes Garden residence. (Express Photo)

Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth on Tuesday issued a clarification a day after he said, “if opposition parties believe BJP is dangerous, then it must be”.

Rajinikanth, who is believed to be a close ally of Narendra Modi-led BJP government, hinted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is powerful than the opposition. “If 10 people (the union of opposition parties formed ahead of Lok Sabha elections) gang up against a single person, (Modi) who is powerful?” the 67-year-old told reporters outside his Poes Garden residence.

Confusion erupted over the actor’s statement that suggested that he might have changed his stand on his affiliation with the saffron party. Clarifying this, Rajinikanth said: “The question asked to me was not right. My answer was if opposition parties believe BJP is dangerous, then for them, they are dangerous. I have not become a full-time politician now, so I won’t say whether BJP is dangerous or not. it’s for the people to decide,” he added.

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He also clarified his remarks on the proposal for premature release of the seven convicts in the former PM Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Rajinikanth said: “I am not a fool to not know the convicts in former President Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination case. I spoke to Perarivalan (one of the seven convicts) on the phone when he came out of prison on parole a few months back. I consoled him and I’m for the release of all the seven convicts involved in the case on humanitarian grounds. They have served 27 years in prison.”

When asked about the case yesterday, Rajinikanth had said: “I am not aware of them (the seven convicts), I have just reached here.”

Responding to Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar’s comment that actors had lost fear after the demise of former CM Jayalalitha, the superstar said: “People should be aware of their position and should not manipulate public by issuing a statement like this. If I say the same (Ministers had lost fear) will it be right?” he quipped.

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On the ongoing Sarkar row, Rajinikanth said he strongly condemns the violence carried out by AIADMK party members who attacked theatres and burnt the film’s posters for some of the controversial scenes in the movie.

When asked about the freebies that are distributed during elections time and again, Rajinikanth said: “ Freebies are 100% needed, but we should see to whom it is meant. It shouldn’t be just for vote politics.”

Janardhan Koushik

Janardhan Koushik is Deputy Copy Editor of indianexpress.com. He is a New Media journalist with over five years of reporting experience in the industry. He has a keen interest in politics, sports, films, and other civic issues. Janardhan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from SRM Arts and Science College and a PG Diploma in New Media from Asian College of Journalism, one of the top ranked journalism schools in India. He started his career with India Today group as a sub-editor as part of the sports team in 2016. He has also a wide experience as a script-writer having worked for short-films, pilot films as well as a radio jockey cum show producer while contributing for an online Tamil FM. As a multilingual journalist, he actively tracks the latest development in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry utiling his well-established networks to contribute significantly to breaking news stories. He has also worked as a sports analyst for Star Sports. ... Read More

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