I am not MGR, but can give pro-poor rule like him: Rajinikanth

In an apparent broadside at the ruling AIADMK government and his critics, actor-turned-politician asserted he is capable of running a pro-poor government along the lines of that of former chief minister and the founder of AIADMK MG Ramachandran.

To thunderous applause at a constituent college of the Dr. MGR Educational Research Institute University, where he unveiled a statue of the AIADMK icon, Rajinikanth said: "For a good leader to capitalise, there is a vacuum in Tamil Nadu."

After his speech on last day of 2017, Rajnikanth had encountered numerous barbs from both the AIADMK and the DMK. Working President of the DMK, MK Stalin, had written to his cadre about "new flowers that are now blooming with the changing seasons," apparently hinting at the entry of actors Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan. From many quarters, Rajinikanth has also been facing the charge of an outisder trying to usurp power.


While Haasan has completed a tour of southern districts in February, Rajnikanth had remained indoors after his speech last year. Barring a closed-door speech to cadre about the need to build the party in terms of cadre-strength, Rajnikanth had remained uncommunicative. On Monday, he unleashed what is being seen as an aggressive effort to project himself as a recipient of MGR's attention and even care. "When I was in hospital following a nervous breakdown, he used to call up often to enquire about my health."
Fishing out a personal anecdote, he remembered how MGR had helped in convincing the parents of his wife Latha Rajnikanth during the days the parents were reluctant to marry off their daughter to a "movie star who had had a breakdown."

The 40-minute speech contained a mix of remembrances about MGR, replies to criticism about his decision to enter politics after many years of dithering, and finally, a word of advice to students that they should take English seriously.
He pointed to the success and fame of Google CEO Sundar Pichai and former president APJ Abdul Kalam to reinforce his notion their facility in English contributed to their success.