Superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday strongly denied speculation that he played any role in attempts to bring together the DMK and AIADMK after Vijay led TVK to a historic victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election and became Chief Minister. Speaking to reporters in Chennai on May 17, Rajinikanth said he was “not a person to make such moves” and clarified that his recent meeting with DMK president M K Stalin was purely personal and had nothing to do with politics. The clarification comes at a time when political discussions and social media rumours have been intense following TVK’s massive rise in Tamil Nadu politics. Vijay’s party swept to power with 108 seats, while the DMK was reduced to 59 seats in the Assembly. Stalin also lost the Kolathur constituency by around 8,700 votes in one of the biggest shocks of the election.
Friendship meeting turned into political controversy after election defeat of DMK
Reports say that Rajinikanth explained that he met Stalin only because of their long friendship that goes back nearly four decades. The actor said he felt sad after seeing Stalin’s defeat in Kolathur and decided to meet him personally. “After the election results came, I met Stalin. He has been my friend for the last 38 to 40 years. In politics, victory and defeat are common, but when Stalin lost in Kolathur, I felt sad. So I went to meet him as a friend,” Rajinikanth said.
The actor also addressed the rumours that followed the meeting at Stalin’s Chennai residence on May 6. According to Rajinikanth, allegations quickly spread claiming that he had gone there to discuss ways to stop Vijay from becoming Chief Minister or to bring the two Dravidian parties together against TVK.
“After that, many allegations came up saying that I went there to stop Vijay from becoming Chief Minister and to discuss a coalition between the two major parties to stop Vijay. I am not a person who engages in such conversations,” Rajinikanth added firmly.
Rajinikanth says he felt happy and not jealous over Vijay’s massive political rise
According to reports, Rajinikanth also dismissed claims that he was jealous of Vijay’s rapid political success. Instead, he said he was genuinely happy to see such a dramatic political change happen in Tamil Nadu after decades of dominance by the Dravidian parties.
“Why should I be envious of Vijay? Vijay and I have a generation gap of 25 years. We cannot be compared. I have been watching him since he was very young. When he won by defeating these two huge parties after coming from the film industry, I was not envious. In fact, I was surprisingly happy,” Rajinikanth said. The veteran actor further stated that Tamil Nadu needed political change after nearly six decades of Dravidian rule and said Vijay had arrived at the right moment politically.
Clarification over congratulatory message and airport controversy after Vijay’s victory
Rajinikanth also responded to criticism that he did not publicly congratulate Vijay after the election results. He said he had already shared his wishes on X immediately after the results were announced.
“Immediately after the results, I posted my wishes on X. Usually, when I go to the airport, the media comes and asks for my response. Before leaving for Bangalore, I asked my bodyguard whether there was any media at the airport, but they said there was no one. Suddenly, one person came with a phone and asked for my response. I did not feel that it was a media interaction, so I just smiled and left. After that, controversy arose saying that I had not wished Vijay,” he explained, as per reports.
Vijay officially took charge as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, marking one of the most dramatic political rises in the state’s history.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
