Karunanidhi stokes fire on Rajnikanth's no to AIADMK offer

Tuticorin, Apr 20 (UNI) DMK President M Karunanidhi today stoked speculation that mega star Rajnikanth had declined a Rs 100 crore offer to campaign for the ruling AIADMK for the May eight Assembly elections.

This indication from Mr Karunanidhi came while addressing a press meet here, before launching his electioneering in the southern districts.

Answering a question on actors entering politics, without policies or principles, he regretted that actors were being pulled into campaigning, especially by the AIADMK, purely on a commercial basis.

'Even today I learnt that a whopping Rs 100 crore was offered to a mega star to campaign for the AIADMK, but he refused. I will not disclose his name,' Mr Karunanidhi said.

When newspersons asked whether they could assume it was superstar Rajnikanth, the DMK leader would not disclose the name.

Asked if actor Sarath Kumar (hailing from the Nadar community) joining the AIADMK after quitting the DMK would create an impact in the southern districts, dominated by that community, Mr Karunanidhi said he had just arrived in the south and it was for the media to make an assessement.

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