Chennai: “If only Rajini and BJP align, the future of Tamil Nadu will surely change for the better”. That was S. Gurumurthy, editor or Tamil magazine Thuglak and the man widely considered as the chanakya, the political strategist, who had maneuvered the post-Jayalalithaa AIADMK events culminating in the merger of the OPS-EPS factions and restoration of stability in the rocking boat of the ruling party.
The packed Music Academy auditorium burst into applause at the Tughlak anniversary on Sunday when Gurumurthy declared, “Rajini has a bright future in Tamil Nadu politics. Keeping away from both the Dravidian parties constitutes the soul of his spiritual politics.”
And then the Thuglak editor said something sharper challenging the political relevance of the Dravidian majors. He insisted that the DMK and the AIADMK would “never be able to attract the youth in future and that power now remains only in the hands of Rajini”.
For a man credited with close rapport with the BJP leadership as well as the Prime Minister's Office, Gurumurthy is unlikely to sing in thin air about an issue as serious as the political future of a party he is widely seen as saving from disintegration after the demise of its charismatic chief. True, he has already made known his disappointment and disenchantment with the AIADMK when he triggered a war or words by dubbing its leaders as 'impotent' as rebel TTV Dhinakaran could win hands down in the RK Nagar bye-election.
Fisheries minister D. Jayakumar had led the assault against Gurumurthy for his 'impotent' tag and now again he was the first to launch a broadside for this prediction of great days for Tamil Nadu “if only Rajini and BJP team up”. The BJP would never be able to make a mark in the Dravidian land and as for Rajini, he would make no impact on the TN voter even if he aligns with the BJP. “People here will vote only for Amma's party”, insisted the AIADMK senior, adding, “Gurumurthy is no messenger of God to predict TN will go Rajini way”.
Such sparring apart, the words of Gurumurthy as well as the statement from state BJP president Dr Tamilisai Sounderarajan that Rajini and the BJP are on the same page in opposing corruption, could mean that the behind-the-scenes operators could be working hard on getting the superstar to soon announce his political launch and thereafter formalise the ties with the saffron party.
“This has been in the air for quite some time now. There is a strong possibility of Rajini aligning with the BJP and a sanitised AIADMK cleansed of its corrupt elements when the state goes to polls next. That will be a winning team”, said a saffron senior, requesting anonymity.
Many AIADMK seniors still believe that Rajinikanth will not get into politics. “He will be saying things to excite his fans and trigger business for his two movies in the making. He will not come into politics”, insists co-operation minister Sellur K. Raju.
