'Don’t cause me pain’: Rajinikanth tells fans that his decision to not enter politics is final

Chennai: Top star Rajinikanth on Monday urged his fans not to organise any events insisting on him to reconsider his decision against political entry and hurt him more, saying he has already made known his position. A day after his fans held an agitation in Chennai in a bid to make him reverse his recent decision, the 70-year old actor said he has explained the reasons for not taking the much-awaited political plunge. “Kindly do not organise such events to insist that I should enter politics and make me sad more and more,” he said in a statement posted on his Twitter handle.

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— Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) January 11, 2021

He noted that the event on Sunday was held by some people in association with several expelled office-bearers and members of Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM), once considered the precursor forum of his political party. Appreciating the organisers for maintaining discipline and decorum while conducting the event at Valluvar Kottam here, he expressed anguish that it was held violating the diktat of the high command. He conveyed his heartfelt ‘’thanks’’ to the RMM members who did not take part in the event. A call was given largely in social media by ‘‘fans’’ urging the actor’’s admirers to congregate at Valluvar Kottam, to prevail upon Rajinikanth to reconsider his decision. Organisers, apparently considered the agitation as a show of strength and hoped for a change in the actor’s stand. The actor had declared on 29 December last that he would not enter politics and apologised to the people and RMM members as he made a U-turn, weeks after announcing that he would launch a party and contest assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Citing his health condition vis-a-vis the coronavirus pandemic, the actor, who underwent a renal transplant in 2016, had opted out of an innings in politics, bringing the curtain down on over two decades of expectation and speculation about his electoral plunge. Prompted by the protest seeking a reversal of decision, Rajinikanth made it clear within a fortnight that he stuck to his earlier position of ‘’no’’ to politics. The actor had last month camped in Hyderabad to shoot for his Tamil flick ‘‘Annathe’’ when four of the crew members tested positive for coronavirus. He was hospitalised in the Telangana capital in view of fluctuations in his blood pressure. While announcing his decision not to venture into politics, he had pointed out the Hyderabad episode as a God-sent ‘‘caution’’ against foraying into politics and said only he knew the pain in going back on an earlier promise. He had then indicated he did not want to sound chivalrous by saying he will join politics despite severe health concerns and that he did not want to make his supporters “a victim”. Rajinikanth’s ‘’no politics’’ announcement last month came as an anti-climax to his fans, admirers, and people who were confident of his political foray. There were others who did not expect him to launch a party and state Congress Committee President KS Alagiri had opined that Rajinikanth’’s political innings was unlikely since the actor was spiritually oriented.