File photo of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: After returning to Delhi on Tuesday evening following nine days of meditation in Maharashtra's Igatpuri, chief minister Arvind Kerjiwal is going to Chennai on Thursday to meet superstar Kamal Haasan .

The timing of the meeting is significant; speculation is rife due to the suspense surrounding Kamal Haasan’s plans to enter politics and the impact such a move would have on the political scenario in Tamil Nadu and beyond.

It is learnt from reliable sources that Haasan wanted to meet Kejriwal. A telephone conversation set the ground for a meeting that is likely to take place on Thursday afternoon. The two may discuss their views over lunch, sources said.

Top sources chose to describe the purpose of the meeting as “open-ended for now”. No one here yet knows what Haasan has in mind, a top source said. “It’s too early to say what lies ahead,” sources said.

The speculation revolves around whether Haasan is contemplating an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in case he decides to float his own party. It is pertinent to mention here that Haasan had also met Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan earlier this month. Even then, the impending meeting had given rise to speculation and deepened suspense over which way the superstar is headed.

AAP currently has a party unit functioning in Chennai, a token presence. However, the fact that Kejriwal has chosen to fly to Chennai to meet Haasan is likely an indication that AAP’s national convener is exploring the possibility of taking his party down south, too.

AAP has been trying to expand its footprint beyond Delhi and establish itself as a party with a national presence; this meeting in Chennai could be the beginning of a new chapter. AAP fought the Goa and Punjab elections earlier this year, losing Goa but emerging as the main Opposition party in Punjab. It is now preparing to fight on limited seats in the Gujarat assembly polls. A meeting with Kamal Haasan, a renowned name across India, could boost AAP’s attempts to establish a national presence.

Having taken to Twitter with a vengeance, Kamal Haasan has been adding as much confusion as excitement to the uncertainty of Tamil Nadu politics.

The Edappadi K Palaniswami government has mostly been at the receiving end of the veteran actor’s tweets since July; some 40 of his 60-odd tweets were loaded with political messages. It started on July 16 with an 11-line riddle-rhyme where Kamal used the Tamil word “Mudhalvar”, which means chief minister as well leader. “If I decide, I am mudhalvar,” his tweet in Tamil had said.

The ruling AIADMK faction was quick to retort, assigning a couple of ministers to take on the actor for his “political illiteracy” and threaten to audit his films and returns.

Kamal Haasan remained undaunted. On Independence Day, he took on the chief minister. “In spite of several acts of crime and corruption,” he tweeted again in Tamil, “why has no one sought the CM’s resignation.”

Sometimes, when asked whether he would enter politics, he has replied that he was already in it. Clarity, however, continues to evade the actor. He said last week, in answer to a question, that he would work with Rajinikant if the latter joined politics.

Superstars from filmdom entering politics is not new to Tamil Nadu. From M G Ramachandran to Jayalalithaa, several matinee idols, including M Karunanidhi , have been as successful in politics as they were in films.



In Video: Delhi CM Kejriwal to meet south superstar Kamal Haasan