BJP’s resounding victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was people’s way of acknowledging and reposing trust in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil superstar and aspiring politician Rajinikanth said, here on Tuesday.
Showering praises on Modi for not just retaining power but bettering the BJP’s 2014 performance, Rajinikanth said the Prime Minister, after the victory, has joined the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and A B Vajpayee whom he called “charismatic leaders.”
Also, the Tamil actor, who is preparing to launch his political party and contest the assembly elections due in 2021, said Rahul Gandhi need not resign as Congress President and blamed the second-rung leadership of the national party to have “not cooperated” in the campaign.
“This victory is for an individual called Modi. He is a charismatic leader (like) Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and A B Vajpayee. After Vajpayee, the only charismatic leader in India, according to me, is Modi. Likewise, Tamil Nadu had charismatic leaders – C N Annadurai, M G Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa,” Rajinikanth told reporters outside his Poes Garden residence here.
Commenting on the election results in Tamil Nadu that saw the Opposition DMK-led alliance sweeping the politically crucial state, Rajinikanth said projects like Methane extraction and incidents like Sterlite along with “intense campaign” by Opposition has brought in defeat for the BJP.
“While the rest of India experienced pro-Modi wave, Tamil Nadu voted out the BJP due to anti-Modi wave. Whoever with the wave won the elections,” he said.
Rajinikanth has never shied away from praising Modi even though he is being accused of harbouring a soft corner for the BJP. The actor said he would be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Modi as Prime Minister for the second time in New Delhi on May 30.
On Gandhi, he said the young Congress leader should not step down as party president since opposition party is as important as the ruling one in a democracy.
"I won't say he lacks leadership qualities. I think it is really difficult to handle the Congress party... where senior-most people are there. Even I think, my observation is, the senior Congress leaders - they had not cooperated well. They had not worked hard," he said.