They sweated it out to make the Neyveli all-star rally a mega show that barely escaped dissolving into chaos. But superstar Rajnikanth, quietly fasting here for nine hours today, demanding release of Cauvery water by Karnataka, proved decisively that he is a political star in the making. CM propitiates Cauvery MYSORE: Karnataka CM S.M. Krishna on Sunday performed pooja of the river Cauvery at the Krishnarajasagar reservoir after ending his six-day padayatra at a rally at Mandya. Krishna drove to Krishnarajasagar dam from Mandya after the rally and offered pooja to the idol of goddess Cauvery. (Agencies) Something even noted by actor Kamal Hassan who dropped by. ‘‘I think Rajni has made a decisive move in the direction of a career in politics,’’ he said.If he had hesitation on his acceptability as a Tamil leader it would have been dispelled by the tumultuous response he received right through the day.And he sought to cap it all by a grandiose offer of Rs one crore towards any project to link Ganga and Cauvery or at least all major south Indian rivers.Speaking to reporters after presenting a memorandum to the Governor, he said he proposed to take a team of actors to call on Prime Minister Vajpayee and impress upon him the need to link the rivers. ‘‘Let the Centre announce the scheme. They need not bother about resources,’’ he said. He intended roping in even Karnataka film personalities in the effort.He said the Centre should invoke Article 256 to rein in a state if it does not abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling. These should be exercised, he said.“The permanent solution to the farmers’ woes lies in linking Ganga and Cauvery. It is a mammoth project but worth embarking upon even if it takes 30 years to complete it,’’ he said. Earlier in the day, he brushed aside Bharathiraja’s remarks against him as ‘‘an emotional outburst’’. Rajni began his fast at 8 am and broke the fast at 5 pm with a glass of orange juice.
