CHENNAI: At his much-anticipated press meet on Thursday morning, actor Rajinikanth reiterated his intention to enter politics but hinted that he may not be the Chief Minister candidate, adding that he will remain only the leader of the party if his yet-to-be-launched outfit contests and wins the 2021 state assembly polls.
Saying that two power centres will not create confusion in the party, he added that he has never imagined himself to be a contender for the Chief Minister post since he started observing Tamil Nadu politics from 1996.
Speaking from a popular star hotel in Chennai, the actor further asked his fans to stop referring to him as the next leader of the state. He said he had organised this press meet to put a stop to rumours and those who called him an 'RSS mouthpiece'.
"Many join politics for money and power that comes along with the post. I'm not interested in either. I only want to see a change. Two political stalwarts, Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, have passed away and created a vacuum in politics now. This is the right time for a people's movement, a wave of youngsters to rise," he said.
He spoke about three main strategies that he will implement once he starts his own party. One is to retain only a few party functionaries for important posts once the elections are over. He said that this will reduce corruption since ruling party functionaries often indulge in bagging government contracts.
Second is to bring in younger people, those who excel in their own respective fields, as party members. Third, he said that in case his party (yet to be launched) comes to power, the leader of the party and the Chief Minister will be different. He said that the party leader will act like the opposition leader who will question the Chief Minister as well.
"During a party functionary meeting, when I told everyone about my decision, no one agreed to it, not even 10 percent of the gathering. I was very disappointed with this. A fan is one who listens to the leader, a leader is not someone who heeds his fans," said Rajinikanth.
Rajinikanth did not elaborate on the ideology of his yet-to-be-launched party. His main appeals were segregation of party leadership from power and invitation of younger leaders and 'good people' from various walks to life, like retired bureaucrats to join politics. He will just be a bridge for 'good people' to take power in their hands.
However, one of Rajinikanth's cryptic statements in his speech has perplexed a few of his fans who wonder if the actor has not completely made up his mind on entering politics.
After explaining his idea of separation between the party leadership and power, he said, "I will come if people accept this and create a mass movement." This has led to an impression among a few that the actor is putting a precondition for his entry into politics and is still undecided about it.
A few functionaries of Rajini's fan association dismissed this and said they will urge the actor to name himself as the Chief Minister candidate and have someone else as the leader of the party.
After his speech, the actor said he is not taking questions from reporters and left the hall.