<p>Rajinikanth returned from his 15-day spiritual tour from the Himalayas on Tuesday and soon after denied any connection with the BJP and also condemned the attack on Periyar&#39;s statue.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While addressing the media on Tuesday, Rajinikanth said: &quot;There have been reports that BJP is behind, but I say God is behind me, after that people are behind me. No matter how many times you ask me this my answer will remain the same.&quot;</p>

<p>He further added that the Periya&#39;s statue incident was &quot;nothing but barbarism&quot; and that &quot;it shouldn&#39;t have happened.&quot;</p>

<p>A statue of social reformer and Dravidian movement icon E V Ramasamy, popularly known as &quot;Periyar&quot;, was found damaged in a village in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Unidentified persons cut off the head of the statue using a chisel and placed it near the roundtana, police said.</p>

<p>The statue unveiled by Dravidar Kazhagam leader K Veeramani in 2013 is maintained by the district unit of the party. A large contingent of police has been deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident.</p>

<p>Rajinikanth also addressed the controversy over Rama Rajya Rath Yatra and said: &quot;TN is a secular state, I have full confidence that Police will maintain communal harmony.&quot;</p>

<p>Vishwa Hindu Parishad&rsquo;s Ram Rajya Rath Yatra, which started from Uttar Pradesh&rsquo;s Ayodhya, has reached Tamil Nadu. Reports have said that around 1,500 police personnel were deployed to avoid any unfortunate incident.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, VHP&rsquo;s move to enter Tamil Nadu with Rath Yatra has not gone down well with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The Yatra is first of its kind &lsquo;Rath Yatra&rsquo; in the last 28 years and is aimed at seeking public support for construction of &ldquo;grand&rdquo; Ram Temple in Ayodhya.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Since Tamil superstar, Rajinikanth announced his plan to enter politics and said he would float his own party, speculations have been floating around over that of his party name and flag. While there has been no official announcement on the same or the date it would be announced, word is that the party name and flag might be revealed on Tamil New year&#39;s day, the 14th of April.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Rajinikanth returned from his 15-day spiritual tour from the Himalayas on Tuesday

Rajinikanth returned from his 15-day spiritual tour from the Himalayas on Tuesday and soon after denied any connection with the BJP and also condemned the attack on Periyar's statue. While addressing the media on Tuesday, Rajinikanth said: "There have been reports that BJP is behind, but I say God is behind me, after that people are behind me. No matter how many times you ask me this my answer will remain the same." He further added that the Periya's statue incident was "nothing but barbarism" and that "it shouldn't have happened." A statue of social reformer and Dravidian movement icon E V Ramasamy, popularly known as "Periyar", was found damaged in a village in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Unidentified persons cut off the head of the statue using a chisel and placed it near the roundtana, police said. The statue unveiled by Dravidar Kazhagam leader K Veeramani in 2013 is maintained by the district unit of the party. A large contingent of police has been deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident. Rajinikanth also addressed the controversy over Rama Rajya Rath Yatra and said: "TN is a secular state, I have full confidence that Police will maintain communal harmony." Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Ram Rajya Rath Yatra, which started from Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, has reached Tamil Nadu. Reports have said that around 1,500 police personnel were deployed to avoid any unfortunate incident. However, VHP’s move to enter Tamil Nadu with Rath Yatra has not gone down well with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The Yatra is first of its kind ‘Rath Yatra’ in the last 28 years and is aimed at seeking public support for construction of “grand” Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Since Tamil superstar, Rajinikanth announced his plan to enter politics and said he would float his own party, speculations have been floating around over that of his party name and flag. While there has been no official announcement on the same or the date it would be announced, word is that the party name and flag might be revealed on Tamil New year's day, the 14th of April.

Rajinikanth condemns attack on Periyar's statue, says 'nothing but barbarism'

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/on-his-63rd-birthday-kamal-haasan-launches-a-whistleblower-app-says-needs-time-to-launch-political-party-23660" target="_blank">Kamal Haasan</a> will announce his political party&#39;s name on February 21 at Tamil Nadu&#39;s Ramanathapuram and begin a state-wide tour the same day.</p>

<p>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/welcome-welcome-kamal-haasan-on-rajinikanth-joining-politics-28154" target="_blank">Welcome welcome: Kamal Haasan on Rajinikanth joining politics</a></p>

<p>The tour will be held in phases. He will begin the journey from Ramanathapuram -- his hometown -- and later visit people from the districts of Madurai, Dindigul and Sivagangai.</p>

<p>It will mark Haasan&#39;s official entry into <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rk-nagar-bypoll-win-was-a-purchased-one-kamal-haasan-28524" target="_blank">politics </a>about which he has been making overtures since last year.</p>

<p>&quot;At the commencement of the journey, I intend to announce the name of my political party along with the guiding principles we intend to live by,&quot; Haasan said in a statement yesterday.</p>

<p>The veteran actor said he intends to challenge the status quo &quot;that has been plaguing the politics of Tamil Nadu for some time now&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;However, for this to happen, my thoughts and actions need to collectively resonate with the people,&quot; he said, adding that through the state-wide tour he wants to familiarise himself with the people&#39;s concerns.&quot;...To truly understand as to what the needs of my people are, what is afflicting them, what their aspirations are,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Haasan said the tour was &quot;neither an act of rebellion nor a gathering for glamour&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;This is a journey of discovery and learning and an opportunity for me to truly understand my people,&quot; said Haasan.</p>

<p>He exhorted the people of Tamil Nadu to &quot;question mediocrity&quot; and &quot;raise the bar&quot; of governance and welfare in the state.</p>

<p>&quot;This journey is intended towards that goal. I begin this journey with your support. Join hands with me to empower our country and state,&quot; said Haasan.</p>

<p>&quot;I will see you soon,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The tour will be held in phases. He will begin the journey from Ramanathapuram, his hometown, and later visit people from the districts of Madurai, Dindigul and Sivagangai

Kamal Haasan will announce his political party's name on February 21 at Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram and begin a state-wide tour the same day. Also read: Welcome welcome: Kamal Haasan on Rajinikanth joining politics The tour will be held in phases. He will begin the journey from Ramanathapuram -- his hometown -- and later visit people from the districts of Madurai, Dindigul and Sivagangai. It will mark Haasan's official entry into politics about which he has been making overtures since last year. "At the commencement of the journey, I intend to announce the name of my political party along with the guiding principles we intend to live by," Haasan said in a statement yesterday. The veteran actor said he intends to challenge the status quo "that has been plaguing the politics of Tamil Nadu for some time now". "However, for this to happen, my thoughts and actions need to collectively resonate with the people," he said, adding that through the state-wide tour he wants to familiarise himself with the people's concerns."...To truly understand as to what the needs of my people are, what is afflicting them, what their aspirations are," he said. Haasan said the tour was "neither an act of rebellion nor a gathering for glamour". "This is a journey of discovery and learning and an opportunity for me to truly understand my people," said Haasan. He exhorted the people of Tamil Nadu to "question mediocrity" and "raise the bar" of governance and welfare in the state. "This journey is intended towards that goal. I begin this journey with your support. Join hands with me to empower our country and state," said Haasan. "I will see you soon," he said.

Kamal Haasan to announce political party's name on February 21

<p><br />
You need a special qualification to be a successful politician in Tamil Nadu. You have to be a part of Tamil cinema and as history suggests, you cannot win unless you are one of them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Right from the days of CN Annadurai who scripted screenplays in his initial days to this day, Tamil actors form the core of Dravidian politics. Almost every politician in Tamil Nadu has a connection with cinema in some or the other form.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Dravidian movement started in the early 20th century, and has been dominating Tamil politics for almost five decades. Surprisingly, since 1967 till date, no other party or alliance except the Dravidian ones could make a headway to the government in this southernmost state of India. And more interestingly, 5 out of 7 chief ministers from Dravidian parties have been actively associated with cinema.</p>

<p>Ironically, most of the top leaders of this movement were not typical Dravidians and their only major qualification was that they were a part of Tamil Cinema. MG Ramachandran (Sri Lanka born Malayalee), Jayaram Jayalalitha (Mysore born Brahmin) and Muthuvel Karunanidhi (A Telugu by birth) are main examples. Mr Periyar EV Ramaswamy had no idea that the movement which he is creating in 1925 for the Dravidian people will be ruled totally by Non- Dravidian people in the future.</p>

<p>As the legacy must continue and we see the induction of another Non-Tamilian actor in the mainstream politics- Mr Sivaji Rao Gaikwad. A Marathi actor popularly known as Rajinikanth or Thalaivar by the local people is the new god of Tamil politics.</p>

<p>Politics is not new for Rajinikanth, he had been indirectly influencing it for almost three decades. There is a story of Rajinikanth&rsquo;s Magic: In 1995, he declared support to the Indian National Congress after a short meeting with Mr PV Narsimha Rao. It was due to his alignment with Congress that the opinion polls suggested a sweeping victory for the party in over 130 seats. This was predicted despite the fact that INC was wiped off from the state since the influx of Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu in 1967. However, the Congress committed a major mistake and declared their support to the ruling AIADMK for an alliance which Rajinikanth did not like. Soon Thalaivar withdrew his support and declared his support to the DMK- Tamil Manila Congress alliance in 1996 polls. The alliance had a very poor predictability for winning but after the elections, results were shocking.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The DMK-TMC alliance which had just 3 seats in the previous assembly election won over 221 seats while ruling INC-AIADMK Alliance was squeezed to just 4 seats. Not only this, in the parliamentary elections held the same year, DMK-TMC alliance bagged all 39 seats of Tamil Nadu. Such was the magic of Thalaivar in Tamil politics.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rajinikanth had been influencing the politics since then. He had been raising voice for social-cultural causes and maintained a clear distance from the mainstream politics. However, now that Thalaivar is roaring in the political arena of Tamil Nadu, it is a serious, very serious concern for the current politicians.</p>

<p>His entry in politics has come at a moment when Tamil Nadu is suffering from a leadership crisis and the local public is looking for a ray of light. J. Jayalalitha is no longer there in the scene and her successors are busy fighting among themselves. M Karunanidhi is no longer active in the politics and his family is fighting corruption and a serious identity crisis in Tamil Nadu. Other smaller parties have been able to influence only a small fraction of local Tamilians and leading National Parties have no exitance in the Dravidian state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This action of Rajinikanth is a well-calculated decision which came at a right time and is going to turn the tables in Tamil politics. At this point in time, there is a vacuum in Tamil politics and the common public is fed up with daily in-fighting among the politicians. They are looking for a new leader, and with the kind of support and respect he receives from all classes of the Tamil population, Thalaivar is unstoppable for anyone. The God of Tamil cinema is going to be the God of Tamilian politics too.&nbsp;</p>

<p><i>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).</i></p>


The God of Tamil cinema is going to be the God of Tamilian politics too.?

You need a special qualification to be a successful politician in Tamil Nadu. You have to be a part of Tamil cinema and as history suggests, you cannot win unless you are one of them. Right from the days of CN Annadurai who scripted screenplays in his initial days to this day, Tamil actors form the core of Dravidian politics. Almost every politician in Tamil Nadu has a connection with cinema in some or the other form. The Dravidian movement started in the early 20th century, and has been dominating Tamil politics for almost five decades. Surprisingly, since 1967 till date, no other party or alliance except the Dravidian ones could make a headway to the government in this southernmost state of India. And more interestingly, 5 out of 7 chief ministers from Dravidian parties have been actively associated with cinema. Ironically, most of the top leaders of this movement were not typical Dravidians and their only major qualification was that they were a part of Tamil Cinema. MG Ramachandran (Sri Lanka born Malayalee), Jayaram Jayalalitha (Mysore born Brahmin) and Muthuvel Karunanidhi (A Telugu by birth) are main examples. Mr Periyar EV Ramaswamy had no idea that the movement which he is creating in 1925 for the Dravidian people will be ruled totally by Non- Dravidian people in the future. As the legacy must continue and we see the induction of another Non-Tamilian actor in the mainstream politics- Mr Sivaji Rao Gaikwad. A Marathi actor popularly known as Rajinikanth or Thalaivar by the local people is the new god of Tamil politics. Politics is not new for Rajinikanth, he had been indirectly influencing it for almost three decades. There is a story of Rajinikanth’s Magic: In 1995, he declared support to the Indian National Congress after a short meeting with Mr PV Narsimha Rao. It was due to his alignment with Congress that the opinion polls suggested a sweeping victory for the party in over 130 seats. This was predicted despite the fact that INC was wiped off from the state since the influx of Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu in 1967. However, the Congress committed a major mistake and declared their support to the ruling AIADMK for an alliance which Rajinikanth did not like. Soon Thalaivar withdrew his support and declared his support to the DMK- Tamil Manila Congress alliance in 1996 polls. The alliance had a very poor predictability for winning but after the elections, results were shocking. The DMK-TMC alliance which had just 3 seats in the previous assembly election won over 221 seats while ruling INC-AIADMK Alliance was squeezed to just 4 seats. Not only this, in the parliamentary elections held the same year, DMK-TMC alliance bagged all 39 seats of Tamil Nadu. Such was the magic of Thalaivar in Tamil politics. Rajinikanth had been influencing the politics since then. He had been raising voice for social-cultural causes and maintained a clear distance from the mainstream politics. However, now that Thalaivar is roaring in the political arena of Tamil Nadu, it is a serious, very serious concern for the current politicians. His entry in politics has come at a moment when Tamil Nadu is suffering from a leadership crisis and the local public is looking for a ray of light. J. Jayalalitha is no longer there in the scene and her successors are busy fighting among themselves. M Karunanidhi is no longer active in the politics and his family is fighting corruption and a serious identity crisis in Tamil Nadu. Other smaller parties have been able to influence only a small fraction of local Tamilians and leading National Parties have no exitance in the Dravidian state. This action of Rajinikanth is a well-calculated decision which came at a right time and is going to turn the tables in Tamil politics. At this point in time, there is a vacuum in Tamil politics and the common public is fed up with daily in-fighting among the politicians. They are looking for a new leader, and with the kind of support and respect he receives from all classes of the Tamil population, Thalaivar is unstoppable for anyone. The God of Tamil cinema is going to be the God of Tamilian politics too. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Thalaivar is coming now, politicians in Tamil Nadu should worry

<p>Tamil superstar Rajnikanth today announced his much-awaited&nbsp;entry into politics.</p>

<p>The legendary Tamil actor, who has a cult status in Tamil Nadu, said he will form his own political party and contest all constituencies in Tamil Nadu in the next assembly elections.</p>

<p>&quot;Anyone who runs away from a fight is known as a coward. Now its time to do my bit for the people. I will launch my own party and stand in all 234 Tamil Nadu constituencies in the next assembly elections,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Truth, work and growth will be the three mantras of our party,&quot; the superstar said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rajinikanth said democracy was in bad shape at the moment and he would feel &quot;guilty&quot; if he did not take his decision to enter politics.</p>

<p>He stated that his aim for joining politics is not name, fame or money and that he got all of that from the people of Tamil Nadu and&nbsp;declared that &quot;spiritual politics&quot; needs to be ushered in, sans shades of any caste or religion with transparency.</p>

<p>The superstar talked about bringing about a change in the nation and further talked about how &#39;politicians are robbing us of our own money on our own land&#39;.</p>

<p>The actor&#39;s remark is seen as a reference to the bitter infighting in the ruling AIADMK, allegations of rampant corruption, perceived political instability, and also the tax raids held at premises in the State including those linked to the ruling establishment, notably a Minister and his associates.</p>

<p>The RK Nagar Assembly bypoll in April was also cancelled following allegations of money distribution.</p>

<p>Stressing that he knew that launching a party, capturing power and governing was not an &quot;ordinary thing,&quot; he said it was akin to extracting pearl from sea.</p>

<p>&quot;This was possible only with the blessings of the God and full support of people,&quot; he said and expressed confidence that he will get both of it.</p>

<p>Quoting a shloka from Bhagawad Gita, which stresses the importance of doing one&#39;s duty and leaving the result to the Lord, he said &quot;this is the compulsion of time.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Engage in war, if you win you will rule the nation if you die you will go to heaven. If you go without waging war, they will call you a coward,&quot; he said quoting the scripture amid thunderous applause.</p>

<p>He further thanked his fans, Tamil Nadu police and the media for their support and appreciation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Fans broke out on the streets in celebration upon Rajnikanth&#39;s announcement.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chennai: Fans celebrate after <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rajinikanth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rajinikanth</a> announces political entry <a href="https://t.co/K1Vul6UFCZ">pic.twitter.com/K1Vul6UFCZ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/947314681923768320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Fellow actor Kamal Haasan had also hinted that he was willing to work with Rajinikanth if the superstar ever decided to enter politics.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 67-year-old star&#39;s entry into politics has been debated for about two decades.</p>

<p>On an earlier occasion, while addressing his supporters, he had urged them to be &quot;ready for war&quot; when the time came and said the &quot;system is rotten&quot;.</p>


The legendary Tamil actor, who has a cult status in Tamil Nadu, said he will form his own political party in the next assembly elections and contest all constituencies in Tamil Nadu

Tamil superstar Rajnikanth today announced his much-awaited entry into politics. The legendary Tamil actor, who has a cult status in Tamil Nadu, said he will form his own political party and contest all constituencies in Tamil Nadu in the next assembly elections. "Anyone who runs away from a fight is known as a coward. Now its time to do my bit for the people. I will launch my own party and stand in all 234 Tamil Nadu constituencies in the next assembly elections," he said. "Truth, work and growth will be the three mantras of our party," the superstar said. Rajinikanth said democracy was in bad shape at the moment and he would feel "guilty" if he did not take his decision to enter politics. He stated that his aim for joining politics is not name, fame or money and that he got all of that from the people of Tamil Nadu and declared that "spiritual politics" needs to be ushered in, sans shades of any caste or religion with transparency. The superstar talked about bringing about a change in the nation and further talked about how 'politicians are robbing us of our own money on our own land'. The actor's remark is seen as a reference to the bitter infighting in the ruling AIADMK, allegations of rampant corruption, perceived political instability, and also the tax raids held at premises in the State including those linked to the ruling establishment, notably a Minister and his associates. The RK Nagar Assembly bypoll in April was also cancelled following allegations of money distribution. Stressing that he knew that launching a party, capturing power and governing was not an "ordinary thing," he said it was akin to extracting pearl from sea. "This was possible only with the blessings of the God and full support of people," he said and expressed confidence that he will get both of it. Quoting a shloka from Bhagawad Gita, which stresses the importance of doing one's duty and leaving the result to the Lord, he said "this is the compulsion of time." "Engage in war, if you win you will rule the nation if you die you will go to heaven. If you go without waging war, they will call you a coward," he said quoting the scripture amid thunderous applause. He further thanked his fans, Tamil Nadu police and the media for their support and appreciation. Fans broke out on the streets in celebration upon Rajnikanth's announcement. Chennai: Fans celebrate after #Rajinikanth announces political entry pic.twitter.com/K1Vul6UFCZ — ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2017 × Fellow actor Kamal Haasan had also hinted that he was willing to work with Rajinikanth if the superstar ever decided to enter politics. The 67-year-old star's entry into politics has been debated for about two decades. On an earlier occasion, while addressing his supporters, he had urged them to be "ready for war" when the time came and said the "system is rotten".

'I do not come for money or fame, as I have enough of it,' says Rajinikanth as he enters politics

<p>Superstar Rajnikanth, who kept everyone under suspense over his <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rajinikanth-to-decide-on-political-debut-on-dec-31-meets-fans-in-chennai-27711" target="_blank">political plans,&nbsp;</a>will be announcing his decision on whether he will be joining politics today.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rajnikanth has spent the last six days meeting over 1,000 fans in Tamil Nadu and had announced that he will reveal his final decision on the last day of the year, December 31.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I am not new to politics. I&#39;m there since 1996. I got delayed. Entering is equal to victory. I will announce a decision on December 31,&quot; he had said.</p>

<p>Posters have come up in Chennai that say if Rajinikanth decides to join politics, he will be the next chief minister, media reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The iconic actor had earlier said: &quot;I am hesitating about joining politics since I know the difficulties. If we go for a war we ought to win. Valour alone won&#39;t do. We need strategy,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rajinikanth-to-enter-politics-says-close-friend-27476" target="_blank">&nbsp;Rajinikanth to enter politics? Actor to disclose &#39;plan of action&#39;</a></p>

<p>Rajinikanth&#39;s wife Latha had also said it was her husband&#39;s decision and she would accept and respect whatever decision he takes.</p>

<p>Fellow actor Kamal Haasan has also hinted he was willing to work with Rajinikanth if the superstar ever decided to enter politics.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Rajnikanth has spent the last six days meeting over 1,000 fans in Tamil Nadu and announced that he will reveal his final decision on the last day of the year, December 31

Superstar Rajnikanth, who kept everyone under suspense over his political plans, will be announcing his decision on whether he will be joining politics today. Rajnikanth has spent the last six days meeting over 1,000 fans in Tamil Nadu and had announced that he will reveal his final decision on the last day of the year, December 31. "I am not new to politics. I'm there since 1996. I got delayed. Entering is equal to victory. I will announce a decision on December 31," he had said. Posters have come up in Chennai that say if Rajinikanth decides to join politics, he will be the next chief minister, media reports said. The iconic actor had earlier said: "I am hesitating about joining politics since I know the difficulties. If we go for a war we ought to win. Valour alone won't do. We need strategy," he said. Also read: Rajinikanth to enter politics? Actor to disclose 'plan of action' Rajinikanth's wife Latha had also said it was her husband's decision and she would accept and respect whatever decision he takes. Fellow actor Kamal Haasan has also hinted he was willing to work with Rajinikanth if the superstar ever decided to enter politics.

Rajnikanth to announce decision on entering politics today

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-seizes-second-ship-suspected-of-providing-oil-to-north-korea-28181">South Korea seizes&nbsp;</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-seizes-second-ship-suspected-of-providing-oil-to-north-korea-28181">second</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-seizes-second-ship-suspected-of-providing-oil-to-north-korea-28181"> ship suspected of providing oil to North Korea</a></p>

<p>South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/muslim-women-can-travel-for-haj-without-male-guardian-prime-minister-modi-28167">Muslim women can travel </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/muslim-women-can-travel-for-haj-without-male-guardian-prime-minister-modi-28167">for</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/muslim-women-can-travel-for-haj-without-male-guardian-prime-minister-modi-28167"> Haj without male guardian: Prime Minister Modi</a></p>

<p>Terming the policy of allowing Muslim women to perform Haj only in the company of a male guardian as &quot;injustice&quot;, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his government has removed the restriction following which hundreds of women have applied to travel alone for the pilgrimage.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/have-been-assured-that-i-will-be-given-suitable-departments-nitin-patel-28155">Have been assured that I will be given suitable departments: Nitin Patel as he takes charge</a></p>

<p>Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel today said he had been assured by BJP chief Amit Shah that he would be given &quot;suitable departments&quot; in the newly-appointed government in the state.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/amitabh-bachchan-congratulates-rajinikanth-on-his-political-debut-28172">Amitabh Bachchan congratulates Rajinikanth on his political debut</a></p>

<p>As Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth announced his much-anticipated entry into politics, wishes poured in from fans and eminent personalities from all across.</p>

<p>Bollywood&#39;s megastar Amitabh Bachchan also congratulated his long-time friend Rajinikanth and conveyed his wishes on the start of his political journey.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-interior-minister-warns-government-will-confront-disorder-28162">Iran interior minister warns government &#39;will confront&#39; disorder</a></p>

<p>Iran&#39;s interior minister warned Sunday that &quot;violence, fear and terror&quot; will be confronted after a third night of protests against the regime.</p>

<p>&quot;Those who damage public property, disrupt the order and break the law must be responsible for their behaviour and pay the price,&quot; Abdolrahman Rahmani Fazli said on state television.</p>


South Korea seizes second ship suspected of providing oil to North Korea South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday. Muslim women can travel for Haj without male guardian: Prime Minister Modi Terming the policy of allowing Muslim women to perform Haj only in the company of a male guardian as "injustice", Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his government has removed the restriction following which hundreds of women have applied to travel alone for the pilgrimage. Have been assured that I will be given suitable departments: Nitin Patel as he takes charge Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel today said he had been assured by BJP chief Amit Shah that he would be given "suitable departments" in the newly-appointed government in the state. Amitabh Bachchan congratulates Rajinikanth on his political debut As Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth announced his much-anticipated entry into politics, wishes poured in from fans and eminent personalities from all across. Bollywood's megastar Amitabh Bachchan also congratulated his long-time friend Rajinikanth and conveyed his wishes on the start of his political journey. Iran interior minister warns government 'will confront' disorder Iran's interior minister warned Sunday that "violence, fear and terror" will be confronted after a third night of protests against the regime. "Those who damage public property, disrupt the order and break the law must be responsible for their behaviour and pay the price," Abdolrahman Rahmani Fazli said on state television.

WION Evening News Brief, December 31, 2017

<p>Now that 2017 is almost over, it&#39;s that time of the year when we take a look back at everything that happened in the year.</p>

<p>Both Hollywood and Bollywood industry saw some major celebrity splits leaving the world in a state of shock. While old marriages crumbled at the behest of time, cheating&nbsp;and love lost, some relatively new relationships also broke.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>Here is a list of some of the most high-profile breakups of the year 2017:&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><strong>Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky</strong></p>

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<p>Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky (Pinterest)</p>
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<p>&quot;Hunger Games&quot;&nbsp;actress Jennifer Lawrence <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-guys-jennifer-lawrence-is-now-single-24916" target="_blank">broke up</a> in November with director-boyfriend Darren Aronofsky after a year of dating.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is reportedly said that the two parted ways owing to the couple&#39;s age gap, as Aronofsky is 48 and Lawrence 27.&nbsp;The former couple met during the filming of &ldquo;Mother!&rdquo; as Aronofsky wrote and directed the film, and Lawrence played the lead actress&nbsp;in it. The two made their red carpet debut in September at the Venice Film Festival photo call for the movie, and only recently started opening up about their relationship.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Selena Gomez and The Weeknd</strong></p>

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<p>Selena Gomez and The Weeknd (Twitter)</p>
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<p>The singer duo Selena and The Weeknd had quite a romantic journey together with both making their love known to the world on several occasions from The Met Ball to music awards. Many believed that The Weeknd was a rebound for Selena after her harsh breakup with Justin Bieber. The two, however, called it <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/justin-bieber-is-not-the-reason-behind-selena-gomez-and-the-weeknds-break-up-23200" target="_blank">quits </a>after dating for close to 10 months in October.</p>

<p>Sources close to the couple said that it was a &quot;mutual breakup&quot; and that &quot;they were distant because of work&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Most recent reports suggest that Selena is back with her ex Bieber but that her closeness with Bieber was not the reason for her breakup with The Weeknd as it &quot;was way over before that&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Gina Torres and&nbsp;Laurence Fishburne </strong></p>

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<p>Laurence Fishburne and Gina Torres (Twitter)</p>
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<p>Actor Laurence Fishburne who played Morpheus in &quot;The Matrix&quot;&nbsp;trology filed for&nbsp;divorce from &quot;Suits&quot;&nbsp;actress Gina Torres after 14 years of marriage on November 3.The couple listed their date of separation as October 14 and cited irreconciliable differences as the reason for the same. They are currently seeking&nbsp;joint and physical custody of their 10-year-old daughter Delilah.</p>

<p>While announcing their divorce, they wrote:&nbsp;&ldquo;With heavy hearts, Laurence and I quietly separated and began the dissolution of our marriage in the early fall of last year. There are no bad guys here. Only a love story with a different ending than either one of us had expected. Happily, our family remains intact and we will continue to raise our daughter with love and joy and awe. As well as raise each other up with respect and love and the continued understanding that we&rsquo;re in this together, if not side by side.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>Fergie and Josh Duhamel</strong></p>

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<p>Fergie and Josh Duhamel (Twitter)</p>
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<p>Hollywood suffered another loss when on September 14, &quot;Transformers&quot;&nbsp;actor Josh Duhamel announced that he had separated &quot;earlier this year&quot; with wife Fergie, female vocalist of hip hop group Black Eyes Peas. He further said, &ldquo;we wanted to keep this a private matter before sharing it with the public.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Fergie began dating actor Josh Duhamel in September 2004, after she met him when she and the Black Eyed Peas filmed a cameo for an episode of Duhamel&#39;s show Las Vegas. They became engaged in December 2007 and married in a Catholic ceremony on January 10, 2009. They have a&nbsp;son&nbsp;together.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Amber Heard and Elon Musk</strong></p>

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<p>Amber Heard and Elon Musk (Twitter)</p>
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<p>American actress Amber Heard or Mera of &quot;Justice League&quot; released in 2017 broke up with businessman boyfriend Elon Musk in August. They split after a year of being together.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They issued a joint statement saying:&nbsp;&quot;The distance has been really tough on our relationship, because we haven&rsquo;t been able to see each other much. All relationships have their ups and downs, of course. People occasionally send out speculation, which has no basis in fact, without our knowledge, believing that that they have our best interests in mind. Sometimes, other agendas are at work. It can get a little weird&hellip;&nbsp;However, we would like to state directly that we have the utmost respect for one another, and it would be troubling if anyone had the impression that we thought otherwise. As a closing note, it is worth bearing in mind that events are always amplified and dramatized in a high profile relationship, whether the people involved like it or not (and we definitely don&rsquo;t).&nbsp;The reality is that this is just a normal relationship with a giant magnifying glass applied.&quot;</p>

<p>Amber Heard was earlier married to A-list actor Johnny Depp, whom she divorced in 2016.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Anna Faris and Chris Pratt</strong></p>

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<p>Chris Pratt and Anna Faris (Twitter)</p>
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<p>&quot;Jurassic World&quot;&nbsp;actor Chris Pratt and&nbsp;Anna Faris of the fame &quot;Scary&nbsp;Movie&quot; announced their <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-chris-pratt-files-for-divorce-from-anna-faris-25802" target="_blank">divorce</a> on social media on August 6. They were married for eight years and have a son together.</p>

<p>The couple wrote:&nbsp;&quot;Anna and I are sad to announce we are legally separating. We tried hard for a long time, and we&#39;re really disappointed. Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward. We still have love for each other, will always cherish our time together and continue to have the deepest respect for one another.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>Soundarya and Ashwin</strong></p>

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<p>Soundarya with Ashwin (DNA)</p>
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<p>South India&#39;s superstar Rajinikanth&#39;s daughter Soundarya divorced husband&nbsp;R Ashwin on July 15.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two were reportedly living&nbsp;separately for seven months and were unable to reconcile. According to the Chennai-based family court that granted them divorce, the legal separation was granted after it was established that there was &quot;mutual consent on grounds of difference of opinion&quot; and that &quot;their misunderstanding over various issues reached a point of no return&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Leonardo DiCaprio and Nina Agdal</strong></p>

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<p>Leonardo DiCaprio and Nina Agdal (Twitter)</p>
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<p>The Oscar-winning actor called an end to his relationship with &quot;Sports Illustrated&quot;&nbsp;model Nina Agdal on May 18 after a year of being together.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sources close to the former couple told media&nbsp;that &quot;they both decided it was a good idea to break up&quot; and &quot;they are staying friends and are on good terms&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana</strong></p>

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<p>Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana (Twitter)</p>
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<p>&quot;Rhythm Nation&quot;&nbsp;singer Janet Jackson and businessman husband Wissam Al Mana called it quits in April, just three months after they welcomed their <a href="http://www.wionews.com/life-fun/janet-jackson-gives-birth-to-baby-boy-at-50-10892" target="_blank">first child</a> together.&nbsp;The couple&nbsp;made headlines when they got married as Janet Jackson converted to Islam and became a practicing Muslim. They remained married for 5 years before breaking up this year.</p>

<p>A source close to the couple said,&nbsp;&quot;Janet and Wissam don&#39;t see eye to eye on many things. One of the many divorcing factors was their religious beliefs. Wissam and Janet did not feel that they were on the same page when it came to this and the way they wanted their child to get raised. Janet is more of a free spirit than Wissam. Cultural difference and backgrounds played a major role. Wissam is a very strong-minded individual and can come across being hard-headed and judgmental at times. Janet started not to feel comfortable around her husband. While she was pregnant Wissam caused stress on Janet and it affected her stress level. They knew it was over before the baby was even born. Janet wanted to make it work but it could not be saved. She didn&#39;t tell many people about this toxic relationship till after. Her family was never a big fan of her husband. She lost confidence in herself along the way.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>Chris Evans and Jenny Slate</strong></p>

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<p>Chris Evans and Jenny Slate (Instagram)</p>
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<p>Captain America actor Chris Evans and Jenny Slate broke up in February after dating each other for nine months. A close friend told media that their breakup was&nbsp;&quot;amicable and recent&quot; and&nbsp;&quot;it wasn&#39;t dramatic or anything like that&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They had met in October 2015&nbsp;on the sets of their upcoming drama at the time, &quot;Gifted&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Richard Perry and Jane Fonda</strong></p>

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<p>Richard Perry and Jane Fonda (Twitter)</p>
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<p>After being together for eight years, two-time Academy Award winning actress Jane Fonda and music modul husband split.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaking about their separation, Perry said,&nbsp;&quot;We communicate all the time,&quot; and&nbsp;&quot;It couldn&rsquo;t be more amicable.&quot; He added, &quot;It&#39;s not a breakup, it&#39;s a shift in the direction of our lives. I hate to say the romantic relationship is over. We&#39;re definitely extremely good friends. We do things together. We care about each other a great deal, and as far as romantic relationships, that&#39;s temporarily been put on the back burner because she, as you probably know, has rededicated herself to activism. We definitely have a great deal of love for each other.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill</strong></p>

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<p>Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill (Twitter)</p>
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<p>The rap couple Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill broke up earlier this year after sources close to the couple disclosed that &quot;they&nbsp;were fighting on and off for a little while about a few topics that upset Nicki and &quot;they had a bigger fight and then called it quits&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was reported that Nicki Minaj&nbsp;initiated to end the relationship and that there is still love between the exes. The couple had started dating earlier in 2015 but had kept their personal lives away from public for most part of it.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Nandita Das amd Subodh Maskara</strong></p>

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<p>Nandita Das and Subodh Maskara (Instagram)</p>
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<p>Actor Nandita Das and producer-husband Subodh Maskara&nbsp;called broke up after seven&nbsp;years of marriage. The couple have a six-year-old son, Vihaan.</p>

<p>Announcing the divorce, Nandita said, &ldquo;Yes, it is true. Subodh and I have decided to separate. Thankfully, it is very amicable. Our son is our foremost priority and as parents of a delightful and sensitive child we request that his and our privacy be respected. There&rsquo;s nothing to hide and there&rsquo;s nothing more to be said.&rdquo;</p>


2017 was not as bad as its predecessor in terms of the number of divorces and breakups but there were some splits that shook the world

Now that 2017 is almost over, it's that time of the year when we take a look back at everything that happened in the year. Both Hollywood and Bollywood industry saw some major celebrity splits leaving the world in a state of shock. While old marriages crumbled at the behest of time, cheating and love lost, some relatively new relationships also broke. Here is a list of some of the most high-profile breakups of the year 2017: Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky (Pinterest) × "Hunger Games" actress Jennifer Lawrence broke up in November with director-boyfriend Darren Aronofsky after a year of dating. It is reportedly said that the two parted ways owing to the couple's age gap, as Aronofsky is 48 and Lawrence 27. The former couple met during the filming of “Mother!” as Aronofsky wrote and directed the film, and Lawrence played the lead actress in it. The two made their red carpet debut in September at the Venice Film Festival photo call for the movie, and only recently started opening up about their relationship. Selena Gomez and The Weeknd Selena Gomez and The Weeknd (Twitter) × The singer duo Selena and The Weeknd had quite a romantic journey together with both making their love known to the world on several occasions from The Met Ball to music awards. Many believed that The Weeknd was a rebound for Selena after her harsh breakup with Justin Bieber. The two, however, called it quits after dating for close to 10 months in October. Sources close to the couple said that it was a "mutual breakup" and that "they were distant because of work". Most recent reports suggest that Selena is back with her ex Bieber but that her closeness with Bieber was not the reason for her breakup with The Weeknd as it "was way over before that". Gina Torres and Laurence Fishburne Laurence Fishburne and Gina Torres (Twitter) × Actor Laurence Fishburne who played Morpheus in "The Matrix" trology filed for divorce from "Suits" actress Gina Torres after 14 years of marriage on November 3.The couple listed their date of separation as October 14 and cited irreconciliable differences as the reason for the same. They are currently seeking joint and physical custody of their 10-year-old daughter Delilah. While announcing their divorce, they wrote: “With heavy hearts, Laurence and I quietly separated and began the dissolution of our marriage in the early fall of last year. There are no bad guys here. Only a love story with a different ending than either one of us had expected. Happily, our family remains intact and we will continue to raise our daughter with love and joy and awe. As well as raise each other up with respect and love and the continued understanding that we’re in this together, if not side by side." Fergie and Josh Duhamel Fergie and Josh Duhamel (Twitter) × Hollywood suffered another loss when on September 14, "Transformers" actor Josh Duhamel announced that he had separated "earlier this year" with wife Fergie, female vocalist of hip hop group Black Eyes Peas. He further said, “we wanted to keep this a private matter before sharing it with the public.” Fergie began dating actor Josh Duhamel in September 2004, after she met him when she and the Black Eyed Peas filmed a cameo for an episode of Duhamel's show Las Vegas. They became engaged in December 2007 and married in a Catholic ceremony on January 10, 2009. They have a son together. Amber Heard and Elon Musk Amber Heard and Elon Musk (Twitter) × American actress Amber Heard or Mera of "Justice League" released in 2017 broke up with businessman boyfriend Elon Musk in August. They split after a year of being together. They issued a joint statement saying: "The distance has been really tough on our relationship, because we haven’t been able to see each other much. All relationships have their ups and downs, of course. People occasionally send out speculation, which has no basis in fact, without our knowledge, believing that that they have our best interests in mind. Sometimes, other agendas are at work. It can get a little weird… However, we would like to state directly that we have the utmost respect for one another, and it would be troubling if anyone had the impression that we thought otherwise. As a closing note, it is worth bearing in mind that events are always amplified and dramatized in a high profile relationship, whether the people involved like it or not (and we definitely don’t). The reality is that this is just a normal relationship with a giant magnifying glass applied." Amber Heard was earlier married to A-list actor Johnny Depp, whom she divorced in 2016. Anna Faris and Chris Pratt Chris Pratt and Anna Faris (Twitter) × "Jurassic World" actor Chris Pratt and Anna Faris of the fame "Scary Movie" announced their divorce on social media on August 6. They were married for eight years and have a son together. The couple wrote: "Anna and I are sad to announce we are legally separating. We tried hard for a long time, and we're really disappointed. Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward. We still have love for each other, will always cherish our time together and continue to have the deepest respect for one another." Soundarya and Ashwin Soundarya with Ashwin (DNA) × South India's superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya divorced husband R Ashwin on July 15. The two were reportedly living separately for seven months and were unable to reconcile. According to the Chennai-based family court that granted them divorce, the legal separation was granted after it was established that there was "mutual consent on grounds of difference of opinion" and that "their misunderstanding over various issues reached a point of no return". Leonardo DiCaprio and Nina Agdal Leonardo DiCaprio and Nina Agdal (Twitter) × The Oscar-winning actor called an end to his relationship with "Sports Illustrated" model Nina Agdal on May 18 after a year of being together. Sources close to the former couple told media that "they both decided it was a good idea to break up" and "they are staying friends and are on good terms". Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana (Twitter) × "Rhythm Nation" singer Janet Jackson and businessman husband Wissam Al Mana called it quits in April, just three months after they welcomed their first child together. The couple made headlines when they got married as Janet Jackson converted to Islam and became a practicing Muslim. They remained married for 5 years before breaking up this year. A source close to the couple said, "Janet and Wissam don't see eye to eye on many things. One of the many divorcing factors was their religious beliefs. Wissam and Janet did not feel that they were on the same page when it came to this and the way they wanted their child to get raised. Janet is more of a free spirit than Wissam. Cultural difference and backgrounds played a major role. Wissam is a very strong-minded individual and can come across being hard-headed and judgmental at times. Janet started not to feel comfortable around her husband. While she was pregnant Wissam caused stress on Janet and it affected her stress level. They knew it was over before the baby was even born. Janet wanted to make it work but it could not be saved. She didn't tell many people about this toxic relationship till after. Her family was never a big fan of her husband. She lost confidence in herself along the way." Chris Evans and Jenny Slate Chris Evans and Jenny Slate (Instagram) × Captain America actor Chris Evans and Jenny Slate broke up in February after dating each other for nine months. A close friend told media that their breakup was "amicable and recent" and "it wasn't dramatic or anything like that". They had met in October 2015 on the sets of their upcoming drama at the time, "Gifted". Richard Perry and Jane Fonda Richard Perry and Jane Fonda (Twitter) × After being together for eight years, two-time Academy Award winning actress Jane Fonda and music modul husband split. Speaking about their separation, Perry said, "We communicate all the time," and "It couldn’t be more amicable." He added, "It's not a breakup, it's a shift in the direction of our lives. I hate to say the romantic relationship is over. We're definitely extremely good friends. We do things together. We care about each other a great deal, and as far as romantic relationships, that's temporarily been put on the back burner because she, as you probably know, has rededicated herself to activism. We definitely have a great deal of love for each other." Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill (Twitter) × The rap couple Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill broke up earlier this year after sources close to the couple disclosed that "they were fighting on and off for a little while about a few topics that upset Nicki and "they had a bigger fight and then called it quits". It was reported that Nicki Minaj initiated to end the relationship and that there is still love between the exes. The couple had started dating earlier in 2015 but had kept their personal lives away from public for most part of it. Nandita Das amd Subodh Maskara Nandita Das and Subodh Maskara (Instagram) × Actor Nandita Das and producer-husband Subodh Maskara called broke up after seven years of marriage. The couple have a six-year-old son, Vihaan. Announcing the divorce, Nandita said, “Yes, it is true. Subodh and I have decided to separate. Thankfully, it is very amicable. Our son is our foremost priority and as parents of a delightful and sensitive child we request that his and our privacy be respected. There’s nothing to hide and there’s nothing more to be said.”

Shocking celebrity breakups of 2017 so far!

<p>&nbsp;Actor Rajnikanth on Friday met Tamil Nadu politician and his close friend Tamilaruvi Manian.</p>

<p>After the meeting, Manian said that Rajnikanth will disclose &quot;his plan of action&quot; regarding his political entry on any day from 26 December to 31 December.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that thereafter there will not be any doubt regarding his political entry.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rajnikanth will also meet his fans for six days starting from December 26 till December 31.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="et">Tamil Nadu: Actor Rajinikanth met Tamilaruvi Manian at his residence in Chennai. <a href="https://t.co/pKDBg6v1y0">pic.twitter.com/pKDBg6v1y0</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944168245396848640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rajinikanth to meet his fans for six days, from 26th December till December 31 (File picture) <a href="https://t.co/dQvjhimUQD">pic.twitter.com/dQvjhimUQD</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944178745560023047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">On any day from 26th December to 31st December, he (Rajinikanth) will disclose his plan of action, thereafter there will not be any doubt regarding his political entry: Tamilaruvi Manian, Rajinikanth&#39;s close friend</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944180353337409536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Speculations over the Tamil superstar entering&nbsp;politics have been on the rise for a very long time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In an interview conducted in November, the actor had clearly <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/not-joining-politics-right-now-rajinikanth-24876" target="_blank">refused to join politics</a>.</p>

<p>He answered a question by saying that there was no &quot;pressing need&quot; for him to join politics at this moment.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The actor had earlier hinted on joining politics. While addressing his supporters in an earlier occasion he had urged them to be &quot;ready for war&quot; when the time comes and also added that the &quot;system is rotten&quot;.</p>

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?Actor Rajnikanth today met Tamil Nadu politician Tamilaruvi Manian today

Actor Rajnikanth on Friday met Tamil Nadu politician and his close friend Tamilaruvi Manian. After the meeting, Manian said that Rajnikanth will disclose "his plan of action" regarding his political entry on any day from 26 December to 31 December. He added that thereafter there will not be any doubt regarding his political entry. Rajnikanth will also meet his fans for six days starting from December 26 till December 31. Tamil Nadu: Actor Rajinikanth met Tamilaruvi Manian at his residence in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/pKDBg6v1y0 — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × Rajinikanth to meet his fans for six days, from 26th December till December 31 (File picture) pic.twitter.com/dQvjhimUQD — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × On any day from 26th December to 31st December, he (Rajinikanth) will disclose his plan of action, thereafter there will not be any doubt regarding his political entry: Tamilaruvi Manian, Rajinikanth's close friend — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2017 × Speculations over the Tamil superstar entering politics have been on the rise for a very long time. In an interview conducted in November, the actor had clearly refused to join politics. He answered a question by saying that there was no "pressing need" for him to join politics at this moment. The actor had earlier hinted on joining politics. While addressing his supporters in an earlier occasion he had urged them to be "ready for war" when the time comes and also added that the "system is rotten".

Rajinikanth to enter politics? Actor to disclose 'plan of action'

<p>Will he or won&#39;t he? Superstar Rajinikanth, often asked if he was going to take the plunge into politics, has replied saying that he won&#39;t, not yet.</p>

<p>There was no &quot;pressing need&quot; for him to join politics at this moment, the actor told reporters at the Chennai airport.</p>

<p>&quot;There is no pressing need for a foray into politics right now,&quot; said the lead actor of several Hindi and southern blockbusters.</p>

<p>Rajinikanth, who commands a huge fan following, also said he would meet his supporters after his birthday next month.</p>

<p>&quot;I will meet my fans only after my birthday (December 12),&quot; the actor said on returning to the city yesterday after visiting the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Mantralayam in Andhra Pradesh.</p>

<p>The 66-year-old star has in recent times hinted at the possibility of joining politics. On an earlier occasion, while addressing his supporters, he had urged them to be &quot;ready for war&quot; when the time came and said the &quot;system is rotten&quot;.</p>

<p>His cinema colleague Kamal Haasan has also spoken about a possible political career. He said he would be willing to work with Rajinikanth if the superstar ever decided to enter politics.</p>


'There is no pressing need for a foray into politics right now,' said Rajnikanth

Will he or won't he? Superstar Rajinikanth, often asked if he was going to take the plunge into politics, has replied saying that he won't, not yet. There was no "pressing need" for him to join politics at this moment, the actor told reporters at the Chennai airport. "There is no pressing need for a foray into politics right now," said the lead actor of several Hindi and southern blockbusters. Rajinikanth, who commands a huge fan following, also said he would meet his supporters after his birthday next month. "I will meet my fans only after my birthday (December 12)," the actor said on returning to the city yesterday after visiting the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Mantralayam in Andhra Pradesh. The 66-year-old star has in recent times hinted at the possibility of joining politics. On an earlier occasion, while addressing his supporters, he had urged them to be "ready for war" when the time came and said the "system is rotten". His cinema colleague Kamal Haasan has also spoken about a possible political career. He said he would be willing to work with Rajinikanth if the superstar ever decided to enter politics.

Not joining politics right now: Rajinikanth

<p>Guessing games were probably his favourite. Actor Rajinikanth has been playing one for over two decades now. When on May 15 he declared &ndash; once again &ndash; that God-willing he would join politics &ndash; the actor might have had his fans excited but most certainly left the ordinary people of Tamil Nadu exasperated.</p>

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<h5>Rajinikanth&rsquo;s imminent entry into politics has kept doing rounds every time there was an election in the state.</h5>
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<p>Since 1996 when Rajinikanth had voiced his opinion against the &lsquo;autocratic&rsquo; Jayalalithaa regime and urged the electorate to vote it out of power, speculation about Rajinikanth&rsquo;s imminent entry into politics has kept doing rounds every time there was an election in the state. Even if the entry wouldn&rsquo;t happen, cadres hoped that Rajini would atleast lend his voice in favour or against a particular party indicating which way to go. So even when hashtag was a still new concept in Tamil Nadu, Rajinivoice was becoming a trend.</p>

<p>Whether the trend was in any way reflective of the larger public opinion in the state is anybody&rsquo;s guess. There has been a running dispute over the magic of Rajini voice in 1996. Some observers say that the voice worked only because it complemented the already-existing overwhelming sentiment against Jayalalithaa&rsquo;s misrule between 1991 to1996. The sentiment was so strong it led to split in Tamil Nadu Congress Committee when the party decided to align with Jayalalithaa. The newly launched Tamil Maanila Congress in alliance with the DMK swept the polls in 1996.</p>

<p>In 2004, Rajinikanth &lsquo;voiced&rsquo; his opinion yet again. This time it was against Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) which had earlier campaigned against his smoking scenes on screen. PMK was contesting in five Parliamentary constituencies and Rajinikanth not just gave his voice but exhorted his cadres to work in the five constituencies against the PMK. Ironically, PMK won in all the constituencies.</p>

<p>Despite the snub, Rajinikanth&rsquo;s voice or the absence of it, Rajinikanth&rsquo;s entry into politics or the indecisiveness of it has never failed to generate huge interest across the state. When Rajinikanth met his cadres in May, several Tamil channels went live with it and broke news about his &lsquo;hinting at entering politics.&rsquo; Only it was not the first time that he was dropping such a hint.</p>

<p>While he had always maintained that God-willing, he would &lsquo;don any role&rsquo; his ardent supporters think the time is just ripe for him to make his political entry.</p>

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<h5>For over three decades, Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi have dominated the Tamil Nadu&rsquo;s politics so emphatically that their absence has led the state&rsquo;s politics to chaos and in a state of flux.</h5>
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<p>Many opine Rajinikanth could fill the political vacuum created by Jayalalithaa&rsquo;s death and M Karunanidhi&rsquo;s inactivity. For over three decades, Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi have dominated the Tamil Nadu&rsquo;s politics so emphatically that their absence has led the state&rsquo;s politics to chaos and in a state of flux.</p>

<p>With the kind of charisma and following that Rajinikanth enjoys in the state, he could effortlessly step into their shoes. Or so they think. But there are others who think Rajinikanth has lost his chance in 1996 when the state was looking for a powerful alternative to Jayalalithaa. Rajinikanth might just have clicked if he had taken the plunge back then.</p>

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<h5>It probably would not even matter that Rajinikanth might choose his own new outfit as long as&nbsp;he is willing to endorse the BJP in the State by way of alliances.</h5>
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<p>But now, at least for the BJP, Rajinikanth could be their lucky charm to crack the tough Tamil Nadu nut. When the Modi wave swept the country in 2014 elections, Tamil Nadu gave just one representative to the Parliament. The party has since doubled up its efforts to gain a foothold in the state. The local BJP leaders hope that Raijnikanth&rsquo;s entry into politics will give BJP the much needed breakthrough in the state. It probably would not even matter that Rajinikanth might choose his own new outfit as long as&nbsp;he is willing to endorse the BJP in the state by way of alliances.</p>

<p>At the moment, Rajinikanth does seem inclined. Since May, the actor has been meeting leaders and personalities from different walks of life. When he met Ayya Kannu, the farmer who headed the Tamil Nadu farmer&rsquo;s protest at Jantar Mantar recently, Rajinikanth had apparently promised him to take up the issue of interlinking of rivers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Several years ago, the actor had promised to make a donation of Rs 1 crore towards interlinking of rivers. For very evident reasons, it remains a promise on paper.</p>

<p>Rajinikanth had also met Hindu Makkal Katchi leader Arjun Sampath recently, giving greater room to speculations about his inching closer to the Hindutva brigade. At least two people Rajinikanth met recently including Sampath confirmed that he was seriously &lsquo;considering entry into politics.&rsquo; But when reporters raised a query recently, he sounded tired. He only had a terse one-line response to them: &ldquo;I do not want to discuss politics.&rdquo; This vacillation perhaps best defines Rajinikanth. Whether he will be able to break his over two decade long uncertainty to become BJP&rsquo;s face in the state is still a tall order. But for someone who has reached dizzying heights from being Kollywood&rsquo;s &lsquo;extra actor&rsquo;, it might not be all that impossible.</p>


Rajini would don any role and politics is no exception

Guessing games were probably his favourite. Actor Rajinikanth has been playing one for over two decades now. When on May 15 he declared – once again – that God-willing he would join politics – the actor might have had his fans excited but most certainly left the ordinary people of Tamil Nadu exasperated. Rajinikanth’s imminent entry into politics has kept doing rounds every time there was an election in the state. × Since 1996 when Rajinikanth had voiced his opinion against the ‘autocratic’ Jayalalithaa regime and urged the electorate to vote it out of power, speculation about Rajinikanth’s imminent entry into politics has kept doing rounds every time there was an election in the state. Even if the entry wouldn’t happen, cadres hoped that Rajini would atleast lend his voice in favour or against a particular party indicating which way to go. So even when hashtag was a still new concept in Tamil Nadu, Rajinivoice was becoming a trend. Whether the trend was in any way reflective of the larger public opinion in the state is anybody’s guess. There has been a running dispute over the magic of Rajini voice in 1996. Some observers say that the voice worked only because it complemented the already-existing overwhelming sentiment against Jayalalithaa’s misrule between 1991 to1996. The sentiment was so strong it led to split in Tamil Nadu Congress Committee when the party decided to align with Jayalalithaa. The newly launched Tamil Maanila Congress in alliance with the DMK swept the polls in 1996. In 2004, Rajinikanth ‘voiced’ his opinion yet again. This time it was against Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) which had earlier campaigned against his smoking scenes on screen. PMK was contesting in five Parliamentary constituencies and Rajinikanth not just gave his voice but exhorted his cadres to work in the five constituencies against the PMK. Ironically, PMK won in all the constituencies. Despite the snub, Rajinikanth’s voice or the absence of it, Rajinikanth’s entry into politics or the indecisiveness of it has never failed to generate huge interest across the state. When Rajinikanth met his cadres in May, several Tamil channels went live with it and broke news about his ‘hinting at entering politics.’ Only it was not the first time that he was dropping such a hint. While he had always maintained that God-willing, he would ‘don any role’ his ardent supporters think the time is just ripe for him to make his political entry. For over three decades, Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi have dominated the Tamil Nadu’s politics so emphatically that their absence has led the state’s politics to chaos and in a state of flux. × Many opine Rajinikanth could fill the political vacuum created by Jayalalithaa’s death and M Karunanidhi’s inactivity. For over three decades, Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi have dominated the Tamil Nadu’s politics so emphatically that their absence has led the state’s politics to chaos and in a state of flux. With the kind of charisma and following that Rajinikanth enjoys in the state, he could effortlessly step into their shoes. Or so they think. But there are others who think Rajinikanth has lost his chance in 1996 when the state was looking for a powerful alternative to Jayalalithaa. Rajinikanth might just have clicked if he had taken the plunge back then. It probably would not even matter that Rajinikanth might choose his own new outfit as long as he is willing to endorse the BJP in the State by way of alliances. × But now, at least for the BJP, Rajinikanth could be their lucky charm to crack the tough Tamil Nadu nut. When the Modi wave swept the country in 2014 elections, Tamil Nadu gave just one representative to the Parliament. The party has since doubled up its efforts to gain a foothold in the state. The local BJP leaders hope that Raijnikanth’s entry into politics will give BJP the much needed breakthrough in the state. It probably would not even matter that Rajinikanth might choose his own new outfit as long as he is willing to endorse the BJP in the state by way of alliances. At the moment, Rajinikanth does seem inclined. Since May, the actor has been meeting leaders and personalities from different walks of life. When he met Ayya Kannu, the farmer who headed the Tamil Nadu farmer’s protest at Jantar Mantar recently, Rajinikanth had apparently promised him to take up the issue of interlinking of rivers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Several years ago, the actor had promised to make a donation of Rs 1 crore towards interlinking of rivers. For very evident reasons, it remains a promise on paper. Rajinikanth had also met Hindu Makkal Katchi leader Arjun Sampath recently, giving greater room to speculations about his inching closer to the Hindutva brigade. At least two people Rajinikanth met recently including Sampath confirmed that he was seriously ‘considering entry into politics.’ But when reporters raised a query recently, he sounded tired. He only had a terse one-line response to them: “I do not want to discuss politics.” This vacillation perhaps best defines Rajinikanth. Whether he will be able to break his over two decade long uncertainty to become BJP’s face in the state is still a tall order. But for someone who has reached dizzying heights from being Kollywood’s ‘extra actor’, it might not be all that impossible.

Can superhero Rajinikanth be BJP?s lucky charm in Tamil Nadu?

<p>Tamil actor and superstar Rajinikanth has received a legal notice from Sundar Shaekhar, who claims to be the son of underworld don Haji Mastan Mirza.</p>

<p>In the legal notice, Sundar has asked Rajinikanth not to depict Haji Mastan as a &quot;smuggler and underworld don&quot;.</p>

<p>There are speculations that Rajinikanth will play the role of the don, who lived between 1926 and 1994, in his next film with Pa Ranjith.</p>

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<h5>I further state that you are depicting my God Father and a well-known national political leader as a `Smuggler and Underworld Don`, which are highly unacceptable and I strongly oppose such misrepresentation of my God Father</h5>
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<p>&quot;I further state that you are depicting my God Father and a well-known national political leader as a `Smuggler and Underworld Don`, which are highly unacceptable and I strongly oppose such misrepresentation of my God Father,&quot; the notice reads.</p>

<p>He added, &quot;There is a huge political party behind him and all party workers are in a state of anger on such misrepresentation of him as a smuggler or underworld don and if any such attempt is made by you to produce any such film, then I shall be constrained to adopt legal proceedings and it is needless to say that the same shall be entirely at your risks as to costs and consequences, which please note.&quot;</p>

<p>However, Sundar also wrote, &quot;If you are really interested in making films on the lifestyle of Late Shri Haji Mastan, even I am interested in making a Biopic on my God Father as I am a Producer and a represented lifetime member of Indian Motion Picture Producer`s Association.&quot;</p>

<p>(ANI)&nbsp;</p>


Sundar Shaekhar, who claims to be underworld don Haji Mastan's son, sent a legal notice to Tamil superstar Rajnikanth

Tamil actor and superstar Rajinikanth has received a legal notice from Sundar Shaekhar, who claims to be the son of underworld don Haji Mastan Mirza. In the legal notice, Sundar has asked Rajinikanth not to depict Haji Mastan as a "smuggler and underworld don". There are speculations that Rajinikanth will play the role of the don, who lived between 1926 and 1994, in his next film with Pa Ranjith. I further state that you are depicting my God Father and a well-known national political leader as a `Smuggler and Underworld Don`, which are highly unacceptable and I strongly oppose such misrepresentation of my God Father × "I further state that you are depicting my God Father and a well-known national political leader as a `Smuggler and Underworld Don`, which are highly unacceptable and I strongly oppose such misrepresentation of my God Father," the notice reads. He added, "There is a huge political party behind him and all party workers are in a state of anger on such misrepresentation of him as a smuggler or underworld don and if any such attempt is made by you to produce any such film, then I shall be constrained to adopt legal proceedings and it is needless to say that the same shall be entirely at your risks as to costs and consequences, which please note." However, Sundar also wrote, "If you are really interested in making films on the lifestyle of Late Shri Haji Mastan, even I am interested in making a Biopic on my God Father as I am a Producer and a represented lifetime member of Indian Motion Picture Producer`s Association." (ANI)

Underworld don Haji Mastan's son threatens Rajnikanth

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