God, people behind me, not BJP: Rajinikanth after 15-day spiritual tour

Chennai: Superstar Rajinikanth who returned to Chennai after a 15-day spiritual tour of the Himalayas, on Tuesday said that the BJP was not behind him.

"People keep saying BJP is behind me. That is not true. Only God and the people are behind me," the actor-turned-politician told media.

Rajinikanth had on December 31 last year announced that he would enter politics.

The actor, who espoused a new line of "spiritual politics", had said his (yet-to-be named) party would contest all 234 seats in the next Assembly polls, due in 2021.

On March 5, the 67-year-old actor, short of announcing his political party, had invoked the legacy of late AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran and said he was confident of giving a good administration like the yesteryear matinee idol.

He had asserted that there was a leadership vacuum in Tamil Nadu and that he entered politics to fill that space.

Leading actor-turned politician Kamal Haasan on February 21 launched his political party, named it as 'Makkal Needhi Maiam' (People's Justice Party) and unveiled its flag that symbolises the strength of unity in Tamil Nadu's Madurai.