My name is being used for political gains: Rajinikanth

Claiming it to be a 'political accident', iconic Tamil actor Rajinikanth who held a 'darbar' with his fans after a massive gap of eight years, admitted today that he committed a mistake by supporting a political alliance 21 years ago.

Continuing to maintain his intriguing stand over joining politics, Rajinikanth further asserted that some people used his name for 'political gains'.

Addressing his fans in Chennai, the superstar said, 'Some of my fans urged me to join politics and it's not bad even to enter politics, but making money out of this is bad.'

However, the star added, 'If in case I decide to join politics, then those making money will not be entertained.'

'God made me an actor and I promise Rajini will never ever disappoint his fans in acting,' he added.

Earlier, the 66-year-old actor was suppose to hold a similar meeting but had to postpone it on a request made by them for individual photographs for which more number of group interactions was required. The last such meeting with fans was in 2009, post his 'Sivaji' success.

In 1996 Rajinikanth had lent his support to the DMK-TMC (Tamil Manila Congress). Rajinikanth's entry into politics has been the subject of speculations for many years. Like MG Ramachandran and late J Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu, and N.T. Rama Rao in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

One of the reasons for speculations surrounding Rajinikanth's political foray is his personal camaraderie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In April 2014, just before the polls, Modi had called on Rajinikanth in Chennai while on a campaign trail. Although he claimed the meeting was not political, but many saw political undertones to it. With the demise of Jayalalithaa, it is expected that a politically ambitious (Bharatiya Janata Party) BJP would try to strengthen its presence in Tamil Nadu.

-ANI