Politics
Supported political parties
In 1995 Rajinikanth announced that he is willing to support the Congress party after meeting Prime Minister Narasimha Rao.
An opinion poll conducted by Kumudam magazine predicted that Congress with Rajinikanth support may win up to 130 seats in Tamil Nadu Assembly. In 1996, when the Congress Party decided to align with AIADMK, Rajinikanth supported DMK-TMC alliance. The TMC used a bicycle as their election symbol and used an image of Rajinikanth riding a bicycle from the film Annamalai in their posters. Rajinikanth said, “Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power.” Rajinikanth wholeheartedly supported the DMK and TMC alliance and asked the people of Tamil Nadu and his fans to vote for that alliance. This alliance had a complete victory in 1996.
In 1996 Rajinikanth supported the DMK-TMC alliance in parliamentary elections.
Cauvery river strikes
In 2002 Rajinikanth undertook a day-long fast to protest Karnataka’s decision to not to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.and announced that he would contribute Rs.10 million towards interlinking of Indian rivers scheme. He met Prime Minister Vajpayee and many experts to canvass support for interlinking Indian rivers scheme. Other members of the Tamil film industry, including members of the Actors Association the DMK, had planned a solidarity protest and Director Bharathi Raja stated that Rajinikanth was on the verge of dividing the film industry and called him “traitor who had a tacit understanding with the Karnataka Government”.
During the 2008 Hunger Strike organized by the South Indian Film Artistes’ Association in support of the Hogenakkal drinking water project, he reprimanded Karnataka politicians. Further, he appealed to leaders not to flame up this issue for political gains and requested that the issue should be resolved soon. He urged the Karnataka politicians “to speak the truth.” “People are equal to God. They cannot be fooled and will not remain silent if you continue to act in such manner,” he stated. Leader of the Pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Vatal Nagaraj demanded an apology from Rajinikanth and threatened that he will not be allowed in the state of Karnataka and all his films will be boycotted for Rajinikanth’s speech against Kannada politicians.
2008 Mock party
Several local fan associations of Rajinikanth in Tamil Nadu have continuously wanted him to take active participation in politics. In this regard, a few fans in Coimbatore started their own political party in the name of Rajinikanth and introduced their own flags and symbols for the party in mid-2008. When the actor heard about this, he wrote an open letter to the press and declared that he had no connection with these events and has strictly warned fans not to indulge in such activities, and failing to adhere would cause him to take up legal action against them. He also mentioned that he was not interested in politics and thus, was only committed to the production of his film Endhiran. He also added that nobody can force him to enter politics, as clear as the fact that none can stop him from entering it at the right time too.
