Earlier today, there was a buzz that Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) secretary Raju Mahalingam had been removed from the organisation. But, those rumours have been laid to rest with an official press release issued by RMM administrator VM Sudhakar.
Superstar Rajinikanth recently announced his entry into politics, and has been appointing officials for his Rajini Makkal Mandram. Raju Mahalingam, COO of Lyca Productions, quit his job earlier this year to be a part of RMM. Rumours suggested that Raju had misappropriated funds from RMM and that Rajinikanth did not want to meet him anymore. Earlier on Thursday, Savukku Shankar, an investigative journalist from Chennai, shared on Twitter that Rajini had confronted Raju for misappropriating funds.
Sources : Rajinikanth, expels Raju Mahalingam from his Mandram. Instructs his office bearers not to have any truck with Raju. Rajini confronts Raju Mahalingam for having misappropriated Mandram funds & says, he should never meet Rajini, ever.
— Savukku_Shankar (@savukku) July 12, 2018
However, VM Sudhakar’s statement said these rumours were false.
சமூக வலைத்தளங்களில் ரஜினி மக்கள் மன்றத்திலிருந்து திரு . ராஜு மஹாலிங்கம் அவர்களை நீக்கி விட்டதாக செய்தி பரவிவருகிறது , இந்த செய்தி உண்மைக்கு புறம்பானதால் யாரும் நம்பவேண்டாம் @rmmoffice @RIAZtheboss
— Sudhakar (@SudhakarVM) July 12, 2018
Speaking to Silverscreen, a spokesperson for RMM, said: “Raju Mahalingam is an active member of our organisation. The rumours about him are absolutely false. He remains committed to the cause and vision of Mr. Rajinikanth. We are saddened by today’s rumours.”
When he joined RMM, Raju Mahalingam had told India Today: “Firstly, I’m a fan of Rajinikanth sir since my childhood. Also, during the production of 2.0, I’ve watched him closely for three years. He is known for his simplicity, honesty and straight-forwardness. I think that is the need of the hour for the political scenario that is prevailing in Tamil Nadu at present. So, when Rajini sir announced his decision to form a political party, I decided to join his political journey.”
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Meanwhile, on the work front Rajinikanth’s 2.0 finally has a release date – November 29. This is Rajinikanth’s second film after he launched his political career in January this year. British actor Amy Jackson plays the female lead in the film while Akshay Kumar is the antagonist.
Speaking at an event recently, the actor-politician said that not everyone who works hard makes it to the top. “Mere effort and hard work cannot make everybody win in life. We need the blessing of God to achieve our goals. Without it, we will work hard, but it will be of no use,” added the star who had repeatedly stressed the importance of hard work in films such as Padaiyappa and Annamalai. In a State such as Tamil Nadu, home to rationalists, such a comment is not likely to go unnoticed. But, that does not seem to have stopped Rajinikanth, who famously proclaimed that his party was based on ‘spiritual politics’, but will not be defined by religion.