CHENNAI: At least 3000 fans of popular actor Rajinikanth gathered at Valluvar Kottam on Sunday morning, in an attempt to persuade the superstar to take the plunge into politics.
Chanting, ‘Va va Thalaiva’ (Come, my leader) and ‘Mattruvom Mattruvom, elavatrayum mathuvom’ (Let us change everything), the enthusiastic crowd had gathered from several districts across the State. The crowd also consisted of a substantial number of women.
The walls surrounding the Valluvar kottam area saw numerous posters with slogans such as ‘(My) vote is for Rajini or no one’.
The fans of the actor had been waiting for a significant political announcement on December 31. However, two days before the date, he announced that he will not take up politics, citing health reasons.
Following his admission to Apollo hospital for severe hypertension and exhaustion, he was reportedly advised to rest and avoid any activity that may expose the actor to Covid 19.
In a detailed statement that followed, the actor had said that if he had indeed decided to take the plunge, he would have had to campaign extensively in person since he did not believe campaigning on social media would result in a huge success.
This might result in further health complications, since he was on immunosuppressant medication, and cause undue issues for those accompanying him on his journey, both politically and mentally, he had said.
However, the announcement left legions of his fans, who had been waiting for Rajinikanth to step into politics and those who had worked towards his political launch, disappointed.
The New Indian Express had earlier reported that over the last few days, invitations to participate in the demonstration flooded fan groups on WhatsApp and other platforms.