Rajnikant must launch politcal career: BJP

Chennai, Oct 7 (UNI) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary and MP S Thirunavukkarasu today said in the wake of many from the tinsel world doing so, Tamil superstar Rajnikant must also enter politics and launch his own party.

Answering questions on prospective alliance partners of the BJP for the next Lok Sabha elections, he said he was confident that with the goodwill he enjoys with the people and bing a true nationalist, Rajnikant would succeed as a political leader also.

''Among the actors in Tamil cinema, Rajni is the most popular and should launch a political party'', he said.

Asked if his call to Rajnikant was also an invitation to strike an alliance with the BJP or join the party, Mr Thirunavukkarasu said ''it was upto Mr Rajnikant. He is welcome to join the BJP. Either way I would be happy.'' When pointed out that the failure of Rajnikant's latest film 'Kuselan' was being seen as a drop in his popularity in view of his apology to Karnataka people about his criticism of that state government on Hogenakkal issue, Mr Thirunavukkarasu said this was not so, in his opinion.

''There are many reasons for the failure of a film at the box office and it was natural. Rajnikant's apology was in the interest of the makers of that film and the distributors who had purchased it in Karnataka, he opined.

Mr Thirunavukkarasu said the BJP was looking to revive its alliance with AIADMK s in 1998 and 2001 as both parties shared similar views on many national issues.

He reiterated that the BJP was prepared for an alliance with any party which accepted the candidature of veteran leader L K Advani as Prime Minister, if the party recaptures power at the Centre.

However it would not ally with those parties in the Congress, DMK and Left camp.

Answering a question whether it would be ''inconvenient'' for him if the Jayalalithaa led AIADMK revives its alliance with BJP, Mr Thirunavukkarasu denied the suggestion saying he had never looked back in his political career since his expulsion from the AIADMK.

''Neither me nor Ms Jayalalithaa think about the past anymore'', he averred, adding the ''BJP will look after and I will look after the BJP in Tamil Nadu.'' He also refuted the CPI leader N Raja's charge here today that the BJP and its communal wings like Bajrangdal were responsible for the attacks on churches in Orissa and Karnataka.

The BJP had always spken up against such attacks and it was never communal like the Congress which was reluctant to introduce a legislation like POTA to contain terrorist activities only to appease Muslim minorities, he charged.

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