Not eyeing CM's post, want political change, says Rajinikanth

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Thursday said that he wants a "political change" in Tamil Nadu adding that he does not want to be the chief minister of the state.

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Ahead of the 2012 Assembly elections and almost two years since he had first announced that he would be launching his own party, the 69-year-old actor addressing a press conference at a five-star hotel here said: "I have never thought of the Chief Minister's post. I only want a change in politics.

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"When I made clear that I will not be chief minister my opponents and friends said that then who will come to your party? People want you to be CM. Will people accept your proposal? But that was my stand" Rajnikanth said.

"There were two stalwarts in our politics, one was Jayalalithaa and one was Kalaignar. People voted for them but now there is political instability. Now, we need to create a new movement to bring change," he said.

"If a change in politics and government does not happen now, it will never happen," he said.

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The actor indicated that young minds and those under the age of 50 must be fielded as party candidates. The political party and the government "should not be headed by the same person," he said.

Among three proposals he suggested included cutting off "unnecessary ground-level leaders who could later use their position to make themselves rich. "I have been advocating ever since I came with the announcement of the new party to correct this system. This system is not correct," he said.

Thailavar, as Rajnikanth is fondly called, quoted a Tamil saying: "If you enter politics before cleaning up the system it is like cooking sweet Pongal in a fish curry vessel.

"Last month, Rajinikanth`s close aide Karate Thiyagarajan had stated that the actor will launch a political party by May or June this year but so far the actor has not announced anything officially. Rajinikanth had first announced his willingness to form a political party on December 31, 2017, in Chennai.