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‘Rajinikanth still has a part to play’: Gurumurthy on actor’s political plunge

“I had said that he should come to politics but when it comes to his health, only he and his family can take a call,” the Thuglak editor said.

The 51st anniversary celebration of Tughlak, a Tamil political magazine in Chennai, saw the inevitable question of Rajinikanth’s decision to avoid electoral politics, being posed to editor and RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy. While he didn’t immediately reply to the question, Gurumurthy did finally say that he does not see Rajinikanth’s decision as the end to his political career.

Gurumurthy was asked earlier during the event if Rajinikanth would have entered politics, if former Thuglak editor and his close confidante Cho Ramasamy had been alive. While Gurumurthy didn’t respond to the question directly, he said that he did not find a fault in Rajinikanth’s decision.

“As far as Rajinikanth is concerned, I have spoken and spent a lot of time with him. I had said that he should come to politics but when it comes to his health, only he and his family can take a call. He likes me because of that. I have never forced his hand. If what happened to him in Hyderabad happened after he started the party and his blood pressure rose, and his body rejected the kidney, there is no saying what will happen to the party. So there is no point in finding fault in his decision. But I have written that he still has a part to play. I think this is not the end,” he told the audience at the event.

Over the last month, Rajinikanth had swung back and forth on a political entry before finally announcing on December 29 that he will not join electoral politics. This was after he fell ill during the shoot of Annathe in Hyderabad. He saw fluctuation in his blood pressure and was admitted to a private hospital in the city. Following this, he announced that given his health issues, doctors had advised him to avoid stress. As a result, he decided to step back from politics even though he was expected to launch his party in January.

Despite his announcement however, thousands of his fans and supporters gathered in Chennai on January 10 demanding that he start a party. Following the rally, Rajinikanth maintained that his decision will not change. 

Source: The News Minute