South mega-star Rajinikanth today confirmed that he would attend Narendra Modi’s oath ceremony as Prime Minister on Thursday and called him a “charismatic leader” like “Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi”.
Speaking to the media near his residence, Rajinikanth said, “I will be going for the swearing-in ceremony.”
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He further added that the BJP owes its victory to Narendra Modi’s charisma.
“This victory is for the person Narendra Modi. He is a charismatic leader. In India after Nehru, Indira Gandhi was a charismatic leader and then there was Rajiv Gandhi. Later we had a leader like Vajpayee. Modi is now a charismatic leader. Even in Tamil Nadu we had Periyar, Anna, Kalaignar and Jayalalithaa. This is the victory for Modi,” he told the media.
He agreed that the BJP lost in Tamil Nadu because of an anti-Modi wave. “There was a pro Modi wave in places other than TN, Kerala and Andhra. In Tamil Nadu however there was an anti-Modi wave. No one can swim against the wave.” The actor said that issues like Sterlite and NEET had worked against the BJP in Tamil Nadu.
When questioned about speculation over Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s resignation, he said, “I won’t say Rahul Gandhi lacks leadership skills. It is tough to handle an age-old party like Congress. I think senior leaders did not co-operate with him. He should not resign, he should prove he can do it too. In a democracy, the opposition should also be strong.”
Though Rajinikanth has said he will attend the ceremony, Kamal Haasan meanwhile is yet to commit to his presence at the ceremony. Sources in the party maintained that there was no decision on the matter yet.
(With Agency Inputs)