BJP must be dangerous if opposition parties think so, says a cryptic Rajinikanth

Throwing another volley, the actor, who is considered to be close to the Hindutva-leaning BJP government, also told reporters that demonetisation implementation was wrong.
Superstar Rajinikanth (File | EPS)
Superstar Rajinikanth (File | EPS)

CHENNAI: Actor Rajinikanth, who is on the cusp of entering Tamil Nadu politics, on Monday said if opposition parties feel the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is dangerous, then it must be so.

This response by the actor has taken everyone by surprise as Rajini is considered close to the Hindutva-leaning BJP government and had earlier declared that his political philosophy will be spiritual politics.

To a reporter who asked Rajini outside Chennai airport if BJP is so bad a party that all Opposition parties are coming together against them --- "Is the BJP that dangerous?", Rajinikanth reportedly smiled and replied, "If they (opposition parties) are saying so then they must be true", in reference to the grand anti-BJP alliance that is being formed.

Throwing another volley, he also told reporters that demonetisation implementation was wrong. Two years after the demonetisation move by the Modi government, Rajinikanth who had welcomed the move initially now seems to think otherwise.

Rajini said, “The implementation went wrong, it (demonetisation) should have been carried out after a detailed research." Minutes after the policy was announced on November 8, 2016, Rajinikanth had tweeted, “Hats off @narendramodi ji . New india is born #JaiHind.”

The actor was also asked about the Centre’s denial to process the letter sent by the Tamil Nadu government to the President seeking premature release of convicts in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination case. He asked, "Which seven convicts. I am hearing about it only now."

Rajinikanth also said that strict laws should be enforced against sexual harassers of girls, in reaction to the death of an Adivasi girl who was raped in Dharmapuri. The 16-year-old tribal girl succumbed to her injuries after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by two teenagers who belong to her own village.

On October 22, a 13-year old Dalit girl Rajalakshmi was beheaded by a 25-year-old man near Salem, which led to public outrage and an outcry, demanding tough action.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu recently visited DMK president M K Stalin here as part of his efforts to bring together various parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to dislodge the BJP government at the Centre.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has also been batting for opposition unity against the BJP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a vocal critic of the saffron party led government at the Centre.

(With inputs by agencies)

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