Chennai: South mega-star Rajinikanth on Tuesday confirmed that he would attend Narendra Modi’s oath ceremony as Prime Minister on Thursday and called him a “charismatic leader” like “Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi”.
Both Rajinikanth and another actor-turned-politician, Kamal Haasan, have been invited to the oath ceremony where Modi will be sworn in as Prime Minister for the second time, after his BJP-led coalition won a massive victory in the national election.
“This victory is a victory for Modi. He is a charismatic leader. In India, after Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi, Modi is now a charismatic leader,” Rajinikanth told reporters in Chennai.
On the Congress crisis, and its chief Rahul Gandhi’s decision to quit over the party’s rout, Rajinikanth said: “He (Rahul Gandhi) should not resign. He should prove he can do it. In democracy the opposition should also be strong.”
Last week, as the counting of votes indicated a huge BJP win, Rajinikanth had tweeted: “Respected dear Narendra Modi ji hearty congratulations…You made it. God bless.”
Since his announcement last year that he would join politics, Rajinikanth is yet to announce his political party, unlike Kamal Haasan, whose Makkal Needhi Maiam contest the election. He has said that his party will contest all 234 seats in the next Tamil Nadu assembly polls due in 2021.
The 68-year-old filmstar has usually sent out mixed signals on his political preferences.
Rajinikanth had remarked before the elections that PM Modi was “stronger” than 10 persons fighting against him.
“When 10 persons go against one person, who is stronger? Those 10, or the persons they are aligning against. If 10 persons declare a war against one man, who is stronger,” he had said on the possibility of a mega opposition alliance against PM Modi.
Earlier, Rajinikanth had been critical of PM Modi’s decision to ban high value notes in 2016.
