Rajinikanth launches app, website for political change

Superstar Rajinikanth, who made waves on Sunday by plunging intoelectoral politics, yesterday launched a website and an app invitingpeople to sign up in his campaign to bring about a political cahnge inTamil Nadu.Even as established political parties by and large appeared to play thewait-and-watch game, Rajinikanth uploaded a one-minute video extendingNew Year greetings and thanking all those who supported his entry intopolitics.“I have created a web page – www.rajinimanram.org – where members of myregistered fans associations and unregistered associations and peoplewho want a good change in Tamil Nadu’s politics can register with theirnames and voter ID to co-ordinate ourselves.“Let us bring a good change in Tamil Nadu. Hail Tamil people and TamilNadu,” he said in the video, which had a logo made famous by him in hissuper-hit film Baba with words “Truth, Labour, Elevation”.Accusing political parties of “looting” the people, Rajinikanth onSunday said he would float a new party to pursue “spiritual politics”and vowed to contest the next Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.After years of uncertainty, the 68-year-old busconductor-turned-heartthrob of Tamil cinema told cheering supportershere that his decision was a “compulsion of time”.Alleging that politics in the country had gone “very wrong”, Rajinikanthsaid: “Under the guise of democracy, political parties are lootingtheir own people.” Such a system, he added, needed to be changed.Meanwhile, former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MP KC Palaniswamy claimed that his party was not perturbed by Rajini’sannouncement.Ever since 1996, the AIADMK has been working on a strategy of ‘anti-Dravida MunnetraKazhagam+Congress+Rajinikant factor’ and the actor’sSunday announcement that he would float a party was not worrying, hesaid.“There is a widespread perception that Rajinikanth is taking a politicalplunge at the insistence of BJP. His announcement that he wouldpractice `spiritual politics’ will cost his proposed party the minorityvotes,” AIADMK spokesperson Palaniswamy said.In 1996, Rajinikanth declared that if J Jayalalithaa was voted back topower no one would be able to save Tamil Nadu. That statement was saidto have played a major role in the victory of the DMK-Tamil MaanilaCongress combine then.However, in 2004, Rajinikanth said his vote was for the BJP which hadaligned with AIADMK for the Lok Sabha polls. At that time, he was veryupset at the Pattali Makkal Katchi party that opposed him for hissmoking and drinking scenes in the movie Baba. The PMK was then alignedwith the DMK.