Rajini hails Modi, asks Rahul not to quit

“Except in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, there was a pro-Modi wave in the country. In Tamil Nadu, there was an anti-Modi wave. Once there was a wave in electoral politics, those who went with the wave have won,” the actor told reporters outside his residence at Poes Garden.

While confirming his participation at Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister for a second term, Rajinikanth hailed the latter as a charismatic leader. “This victory is for an individual called Modi. He is a charismatic leader (like) Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and AB Vajpayee. After Vajpayee, the only charismatic leader in India, according to me, is Modi.

To a question on what led AIADMK-BJP alliance defeat in the state, Rajinikanth said projects like Methane extraction and incidents like Sterlite along with “intense campaign” by Opposition has brought in defeat for the BJP. Rajinikanth also welcomed Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s announcement to link Krishna and Godavari.

On Rahul Gandhi, he said the young leader should not step down 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 seniormost 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.

He also congratulated Kamal Haasan for his party’s performance in the polls. “Kamal has got four per cent in such a short time. I congratulate him for that,” he added.