Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has asserted that his very objective of taking to politics was to fill up the vacuum of a ‘good leader’ in the State.

Rajini was taking part yesterday at the MGR centenary celebrations held at Maduravoyal at the premises of a private engineering college where he also inaugurated a bronze statue of the late and legendary chief-minister. Roads leading to the college and the premises were milling with huge crowds as news of the superstar’s visit had spread fast. Rajini lavished huge praise on MGR when he spoke.

“MGR was an ‘avatar’ of the God; people haven’t forgotten him even after more than 30 years since he passed away. Nobody can be compared to MGR whom I first met in 1973. I’m confident of re-creating the ‘MGR rule’ for the welfare of the poor. As an actor, I have been accomplishing my assignments very well. I have been making my fans happy though I’m past 60 now.

“I had been involved in politics right from 1996 and learnt the nuances of politics from Karunanidhi, Moopanar and the late ‘Cho’ Ramaswamy. Why make fun of me when I say I’m in politics? I’m aware that it won’t be a path of roses but am still taking to politics only with the objective of serving people. The world knows that I was never afraid of Jayalalithaa; I had raised my voice against her and her regime of the past.

“There is a vacuum of a good leader in the State now that Karunanidhi is not keeping good health and Jayalalithaa had passed away. Obviously, I want to fill this vacuum,” Rajini said amid thunderous applause. He also praised Jayalalithaa for keeping the party (AIADMK) intact with her over-powering personality.