Rajinikanth will fill political vacuum, says Alagiri, as Kamal backs superstar
CHENNAI: Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth appears to find support from former Union Minister and ousted DMK leader M. K. Alagiri and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder and actor Kamal Haasan for his "political vacuum" statement.
On Thursday Alagiri agreed with Rajinikanth on the issue and said the actor is the right person to fill that void. Endorsing the superstar's view, Alagiri who is the elder son of late DMK president M. Karunanidhi, said he agreed with Rajinikanth that a political void continues in the state after the death of the Dravidian leaders.
"Of course, there is a vacuum that exists for good leadership in Tamil Nadu. I hope Rajinikanth would fill that vacuum," he told reporters at the airport here on Thursday. The once DMK strong man in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu and south zone organiser, was removed from the party in 2014 for making anti-party statements.
Rajinikanth had on Nov. 8 remarked that the death of former Chief Ministers: J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi, left a void in state politics.
DMK was the first to deny his claim and asserted that its party president M. K. Stalin had filled the vacuum after patriarch Karunanidhi's death. Party treasurer Duraimurugan claimed M. K. Stalin had filled the political vacuum in Tamil Nadu.
Ruling AIADMK also lashed out at Rajinikanth on the issue and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami sought to know if Rajini is a political leader. "He is only an actor. Did any political leader say there is leadership vacuum (in Tamil Nadu)," Mr. Palaniswami asked, aiming to make Rajini's statement sound less significant.
"There is no vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics now. After winning the Vikravandi and Nanguneri Assembly by-polls last month, we have proved that there is no vacuum in Tamil Nadu," Mr. Palaniswami who is AIADMK Co-Coordinator had responded.
Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan on Thursday echoed superstar Rajinikanth's statement and said there were no 'good' leaders unlike in the past. "There is nobody (available) for a good leadership. None can deny there were good leaders (in the past). What we are saying is there is no such persons now," Haasan told reporters at the airport here.
