Modi and BJP stronger than coalition: Rajinikanth

Chennai: Making clear his saffron leanings, superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday said the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is stronger than the mega opposition coalition being readied for taking on the ruling party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, he maintained his signature vagueness in refraining from giving a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to questions on the BJP at a press conference he convened outside his Poes Garden house.

The actor was apparently forced to call for the press meet as his interaction with the journalists at the airport on Monday not only caused confusion but also led to some stinging criticism that for someone who aspired to plunge into politics and lead Tamil Nadu, the man lacked in-depth knowledge of critical issues and was wanting in clear exposition before the public media. 

Particularly, his response to the reporters’ questions on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts drew sharp reactions with senior AIADMK leader and state minister D Jayakumar wondering whether Rajinikanth was from some distant planet unaware of such crucial and sensitive issues. People would soon judge whether the star was to be a hero or a zero in politics, declared the quick-witted minister.

Back to his Tuesday media meet at Poes Garden, Rajinikanth claimed that some media persons had wrongly interpreted his airport statement in concluding that he concurred with the opposition parties that the BJP was a dangerous party.

Recalling that a scribe had asked him if the BJP was so dangerous that all the opposition parties were ganging up together to fight it, he said, “My answer was that the opposition parties think so (the BJP is dangerous. When they think so, the BJP is a dangerous party for them, for them”. 

The actor reminded the media persons they should be “cautious, responsible” in reporting as his press conferences were on video and they could be caught if his statements got twisted wrongly. But then, a replay of his airport press meet would show him he must be as much blamed as those who interpreted it all wrong. To the question if the BJP was a dangerous party, he had said, “If they (opposition parties) feel that way, then it should definitely be that way”. Perhaps he was poking fun at the opposition parties for ganging up against a single party, but then, some scribes missed his humour.

This time the reporters did not want to leave with any confusion, so they quizzed the star repeatedly what he really thought of Narendra Modi and the BJP. Again, the man would not let them down by coming up with clear replies but at the end of it all, it was safe for anyone to conclude that Rajinikanth remained a great fan of Modi and hence, a very likely ally of the saffron party in 2019.

“When 10 persons go against one person, who is stronger? Those 10 or the person they are aligning against?” Rajini retorted. The scribes then asked him if he thought Modi was stronger than them all and pat came the reply: “I cannot be clearer”. In any case, the people would pronounce their judgment in 2019, he said. 

Turning to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts, he said, “Rajinikanth is not such an idiot not to know those seven persons. I had spoken to Perarivalan over the phone for 10 minutes when he came out on parole and consoled him”, he said, adding that the seven convicts had served 28 long years in jail and it was time they got released on humanitarian grounds.