‘PV was keen on having Rajini in Congress’

The former prime minister's grandson, now with BJP says, the superstar met his grandfather twice in the run-up to the 1996 elections and said he would campaign for the Congress if it went alone

October 30, 2014 02:19 am | Updated May 23, 2016 04:51 pm IST - CHENNAI:

Narasimha Rao and Rajinikanth

Narasimha Rao and Rajinikanth

Disputing popular accounts of many Congressmen from Tamil Nadu that P.V. Narasimha Rao’s indifference blocked the entry of superstar Rajinikanth into politics, his grandson N.V. Subash said the former Prime Minister was keen on the Congress contesting the 1996 Assembly polls with the actor as its face.

Mr. Subash, now with the BJP, said Mr. Rajinikanth met his grandfather twice in the run-up to the 1996 elections. The actor said he would campaign for the Congress if it went alone. “At the second meeting, he said he would campaign through television for the party. Even at this point, Mr. Rao was recepti-ve to the idea,” said Mr. Subash.

But Mr. Rajinikanth’s abrupt departure to the United States, when the talks on his support to the Congress were under way, forced Rao to doubt whether the actor’s seriousness, he recalled.

“I am pointing to this instance to show how my grandfather’s legacy has been systematically tarnished by some Congress leaders through false stories,” said Mr. Subash, the son of Rao’s eldest daughter.

In fact, in 1996, after the Congress decided to stick to the AIADMK, Rao’s posters were torn up in Tamil Nadu. The Congress then split, with the late G.K. Moopanar floating the Tamil Manila Congress and aligning with the DMK, helping it capture power.

Mr. Subash said that despite being the tallest leader of the Congress from Telangana, Rao was ignored by the party at the instance of the Gandhis. On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged Rao’s contribution during his Lok Sabha election campaign.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.