The slogan-raising activists burnt an effigy of the actor at the busy Cathedral Road, police said, adding that scores of members of the outfit including Veeralakshmi were detained.
Amid the speculation of his impending political plunge and his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a fringe Tamil group burnt Tamil superstar Rajinikanth in effigy on Monday opposing his entry into politics. In retaliation, the actor's fans burnt an effigy of Veeralakshmi of Tamizhar Munnetra Padai in Madurai.
With the fringe group planning to picket the actor's house at Poes Garden, security was stepped up there. The slogan-raising activists burnt an effigy of the actor at the busy Cathedral Road, police said, adding that scores of members of the outfit including Veeralakshmi were detained.
Speculation of Rajinikanth's possible entry into politics has gained steam following his hints last week asking his fans to prepare for war. Protestors raised slogan against his political entry saying that Rajinikanth is a Kannadiga and should not enter politics in Tamil Nadu. The actor had last week asserted his Tamil identity saying he is a 'pachai (pure) Tamilan', saying his native place was a village in Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu.
Though Rajinikanth has not made any announcement about his impending visit to New Delhi to meet Modi, BJP leaders from its national president Amit Shah to its Tamil Nadu unit president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan are losing no time in wooing him to join their party. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has given an open invitation to the actor saying that his party has an appropriate place for him.
The ruling AIADMK faction has not taken the Rajinikanth's hint at joining politics lightly. Cooperative minister Sellur K Raju on Monday termed the actor as a business man and said that he would speak in different tones to ensure the success of his movie. "All of us know what happened to the actors who had floated political party after MGR (MG Ramachandran, former CM and AIADMK founder). We need not worry about whatever said by Rajinikanth. He might have a big fan base. I am not denying that. But the question is whether his fan base can be turned into a voter base," he said, noting that AIADMK continues to be a party of masses.
Raj Bahadur, a long-time associate of the actor from his bus conductor days in Bengaluru, told a Tamil news channel that Rajinikanth has made up his mind to take a plunge in politics. He said that he met the actor 10 days back and had a long discussion with him. "We met and talked about politics for four hours. I asked him if he had made up his mind and he said, 'Yes, now I am ready, having deeply studied politics for the last 20 years'," he said.
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