On a day when actor-turned-politician and TVK chief met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and staked claim to form the government in Tamil Nadu, away from the limelight, another meeting unfolded.
Kollywood superstar Rajinikanth met DMK president M.K. Stalin, who stepped down as chief minister on Tuesday. Stalin had lost the Kolathur assembly constituency to V.S. Babu of TVK by a margin of 8,795 votes.
Rajinikanth met the former chief minister at Stain's residence in Alwarpet of Chennai. During the meeting, which has been dubbed a "courtesy call", Rajinikanth reportedly expressed solidarity with Stalin following the DMK's electoral setback.
According to media reports, Rajinikanth told Stalin that he would stand by him even in tough times.
It is to be noted that the superstar had previously hailed Stalin as a top leader of Indian politics. Rajinikanth had expressed support for the DMK in the past as well, even asking his fans to vote for DMK. “I would like the DMK alliance to get a thumping victory in forthcoming Lok Sabha election and my fans must fully support the alliance,” the superstar had said in 1989, according to a report in The New Indian Express.
In the 1996 Tamil Nadu elections, he had campaigned against J. Jayalalithaa, with a famous line, "Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if Jayalalithaa returns."
Incidentally, in March, TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna had claimed that Rajinikanth refrained from entering politics because of a threat from the DMK. He also claimed that the DMK exerted pressure to ensure the actor stayed out of the political arena despite the star's desire to "change the system".
