CHENNAI: Veteran politician Thamizharuvi Manian, who has been supervising the works for launching the now-aborted political party of actor Rajinikanth, today bid adieu to politics forever, following the decision of the actor not to enter politics.
"I don't have anything to achieve in the present political arena where ruby stones and pebbles are rated equal. It would be wise to keep myself off from the place where my honesty and purity are not recognised. I will not return to politics till death meets me," Manian said in a moving statement here.
This is not the first time Thamizharuvi Manian said he was quitting politics. In 2016 too, Manian announced that he was quitting public life. After his political hibernation for some time, he returned to politics after Rajinikanth announced his political entry in 2017 and continued his journey with the actor.
On Tuesday, Rajinikanth said he had informed his decision to Thamizharuvi Manian and the latter said the actor's health was of paramount importance. However, the present statement of Manian without saying anything about Rajinikanth's decision, has shown that indeed, the veteran politician was shocked and hurt at the actor's move.
Manian said he has been in public life for 50 years and his political journey was marked by purity. "Both Dravidian parties have ruined all noble virtues of public life and politics has become corruption-ridden. Now it has become a shelter for those who work for selfish motives in the name of caste, creed, race, and language. Even today, I live in a rented house. The only crime I have committed was that I strove to establish Kamaraj rule again. The cheap charges levelled against me have deeply hurt my wife and children."
On December 3, while reconfirming his entry into politics, Rajinikanth said Manian would be supervising the works for launching the political party and appointed Ra Arjunamurthy as chief coordinator of his party. Manian said once Rajinikanth launched his political party, Gandhiya Makkal Iyakkam led by him would be merged with the actor's party. After December 3, both Manian and Arjunamurthy had called on Rajinikanth for speeding up the works for launching the political party.
Manian entered public life attracted by late leader K Kamaraj around five decades ago. He worked with the Indian National Congress and later with Congress (O). When the former Chief Minister of Karnataka Ramakrishna Hegde launched his political party Lok Sakthi, Manian was appointed as the party's Tamil Nadu unit president.
Later, Manian returned to Congress. However, expressing dissatisfaction over the party's stand on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, he left Congress in 2008. The next year, he launched his own movement called Gandhiya Makkal Iyakkam.