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‘Courtesy call,’ Rajinikanth on meeting with Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi
The 71-year-old actor with a cult following across the globe announced his entry into politics in December 2017 and launched the Rajini Makkal Mandram party
Actor Rajinikanth on Monday said that he had discussed politics during his meeting with Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, but he couldn’t divulge the content of their conversation. The superstar had called on the Governor at the Raj Bhavan today which he described as a courtesy call.
Ahead of the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Rajinikanth had briefly had a stint with politics but backed out just before the assembly polls took off in the state. The 71-year-old actor with a cult following across the globe announced his entry into politics in December 2017 and launched the Rajini Makkal Mandram party. But after several fits and starts, in December 2020, Rajinikanth pulled out of the electoral space citing health reasons and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rajinikanth’s role was expected to shake up the state’s politics and he was being courted by the BJP which has been trying to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu where the electorate has only favoured either the DMK or the AIADMK since 1967. The state government, meanwhile has had an uneasy relationship with the Governor over his delays in forwarding legislations passed by the cabinet and because of his support for Union-government programmes such as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Exam (NEET) which is being opposed by DMK-led Tamil Nadu.
After the meeting Rajinikanth told the media that the Governor has been in northern India throughout his life but he likes Tamil Nadu. “More importantly he likes Tamil Nadu people’s integrity, hard work and honesty. He told me that he is ready to do anything for the welfare of Tamil Nadu,” Rajinikanth said. When reporters asked him if they discussed the 2024 parliamentary elections and sought his response on GST on dairy products, Rajinikanth did not respond.
