CHENNAI: A meeting between senior BJP leaders and actor Rajinikanth at his Poes Garden residence on Tuesday set off fresh political chatter in Tamil Nadu, with speculation mounting over the message the party sought to send amid changing equations within its state unit.
BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran, accompanied by party national secretary and state in-charge Arvind Menon, met the actor along with other functionaries, including state secretary 'Karate' R Thiagarajan and propaganda wing organiser Pandiyaraj.
The BJP described the interaction as a "courtesy meeting". In a statement posted on social media, Nainar Nagenthran said the leaders presented Rajinikanth with special publications detailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 12 years in office and the Centre's flagship development initiatives.
"Today, at Poes Garden in Chennai, we met superstar Rajinikanth, recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Vibhushan, along with BJP national secretary and Tamil Nadu in-charge Arvind Menon, as a mark of respect," he said.
However, party sources indicated that the meeting carried political significance beyond the official description. According to sources close to Nagenthran, the leadership conveyed to Rajinikanth that he should avoid taking political positions or endorsing any individual leader, particularly former state BJP chief K Annamalai.
The sources claimed the party was keen to ensure that Rajinikanth remained politically neutral at a time when internal realignments continued to draw attention within the state BJP.
Another section within the party, however, rejected such interpretations and insisted that the meeting had no connection with Annamalai or internal political developments.
A section of BJP leaders sees the outreach as an attempt by Nainar Nagenthran to assert his leadership and reinforce his political visibility as the BJP recalibrate its strategy in the state amid the emergence of Vijay's TVK and intensifying competition in the opposition space.