Shivaji Rao Gaekwad to launch new political party in Tamil Nadu by April

New Delhi, Feb 09: Rajinikanth alias Shivaji Rao Gaekwad is expected to launch his political party in April.

Reports quoting top players in the Rajini Makkal Mandram, an outfit launched by the super star said that the party would be launched sometime in April. The launch could be anytime after April 14, but the name has not been decided as yet.

Tamilaruvi Manian is expected to play the role of the chief strategist and would manage the day to day affairs of the party. Currently talks are on with other parties such as the PMK to join hands with the actor.

The BJP too is expected to help Rajini run the show. It has been perceived that the actor is close to the BJP.

Last week the actor threw his weight behind the contentious Citizenship Amendment law and asserted that the legislation did not pose any threat to Muslims. In his first reaction after the amendment to the Citizenship law and nation wide protests against it, the top actor wondered as to how Muslims, who chose to stay back in India following partition will be sent out of the country.

"CAB is no threat to Muslims, if they face trouble I will be the first person to raise voice for them," he told reporters here. Besides, the central government has assured that Indian people will have no issues in view of the Citizenship Amendment Act, he noted. Alleging that some political parties were instigating people against CAB for their selfish interests, he also blamed religious leaders for supporting protests against the law and dubbed it "very wrong." Backing the National Population Register exercise, he said the drive is "very, very essential," and added that the Congress-led government had done it in the past.