HAASAN MEETS RAJINI, MK
Three days before the launch of his political party, actor Kamal Haasan called on his Rajinikanth as well as DMK President M Karunanidhi.
CHENNAI: Three days before the launch of his political party on February 21, actor Kamal Haasan called on his contemporary and competitor Rajinikanth as well as DMK President M Karunanidhi in Chennai on Sunday.
Haasan spent 10 minutes with Rajinikanth and described it as a courtesy call to seek his wishes for the political journey that he is scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Ramanathapuram. Haasan is also said to have invited Rajinikanth to participate in his rally at Madurai, where he will announce the name of his political party.
“It is a courtesy call, not a political meeting. Rajini wished me good luck,” Haasan said.
Rajinikanth, too, maintained a similar line. “He had come to wish me, and I wished him good luck in all walks of life,” he said.
While the meeting fuelled speculation, political analysts rule out the coming together of the two superstars. While Rajinikanth is perceived to be closer to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has spoken of ‘spiritual politics’, Haasan had declared that he would have nothing to do with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
In his talk and action, Haasan has taken a left-of-centre stand and has met with those opposed to the Central government, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Also a trenchant critic of the ruling AIADMK, Haasan is scheduled to address a public meeting and later unveil his party flag in Madurai. Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu are scheduled for 2021.
After meeting Rajinikanth earlier in the day, Haasan called on 93-year-old Karunanidhi at his residence late in the evening.
Emerging from the brief meeting with Karunanidhi, Haasan said he called on the former CM to get his blessings and inform him about his political journey.
Asked whether he would have a tie-up with DMK, the actor said it was for that party to take a call after it understood his ideology. “DMK’s ideology is known. If my ideology suits them, they can think about it.”