Before the 1996 election, Rajinikanth met then-prime minister Narasimha Rao , who asked him to enter politics. (They met in Chennai during the 2014 election campaign but Rajinikanth did not endorse the BJP.) Rajinikanth’s speech comes at a time when there is a lot of uncertainty in Tamil Nadu politics, caused by the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016 and Karunanidhi’s poor health. Vaasanthi, a veteran journalist, says Rajinikanth is tempted to enter politics every now and then because of his fans. That said, regardless of his success in the electoral arena, he will certainly bring some pizzazz to Tamil Nadu politics.

Source: Economic Times May 27, 2017 18:33 UTC