Rajinikanth rules out political entry, Rajini Makkal Mandram to function as fan charity forum

Actor Rajinikanth said on Monday that he will not be entering politics and the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) will carry out welfare activities, hours after speculation about his political foray. The organisation of the actor’s fan clubs RMM, which was considered as his launch vehicle into politics, has been dissolved, according to The NewsMinute. “I had thought of starting a political party and getting involved in politics. But the timing was such that it was not possible. I have no intention of getting involved in politics in the future, so I kindly inform you that the RMM will function as a fan charity forum for the benefit of the people,” Rajinikanth said in the statement. The secretaries, associates, deputy secretaries and executive committee members in the RMM will continue for the time being, he added. The decision came after he would consult his RMM functionaries on whether or not to join politics in future, six months after he opted out of politics. “The forum will now function as Rajini Rasigar Narpani Mandram to carry out welfare activities,” the actor said after meeting the forum members. On 3 December, 2020, the actor had said that he would launch his party in January 2021 ahead of the Assembly elections. However, during the last week of December last year, he did a U-turn and announced that he would not join politics. He had said he would not join politics and had cited factors like his health condition and him undergoing kidney transplant in 2016. Since then, several functionaries had joined political parties, including the DMK. With inputs from PTI