Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal meets actor Kamal Haasan at the latter’s residence in Chennai on Thursday. (PTI photo) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal meets actor Kamal Haasan at the latter’s residence in Chennai on Thursday. (PTI photo)

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met actor Kamal Haasan on Thursday at his ancestral house in Chennai. Saying that he and Kejriwal were “like-minded,” Haasan said the significance of the meeting was their stand against corruption and communalism. “I will seek his advice on various issues,” said Haasan.

On his part, the Delhi CM said he is happy to learn that there are many more people in the country to fight communalism. “It is very important to meet him at this time when he has political plans. He should enter politics,” Kejriwal said. He said his meeting with Haasan may be the “beginning of a movement of anti-corruption and anti-communalism”. “I had a good meeting with him. These discussions will continue,” he said.

This, however, is not the first meeting between the two, said Delhi government sources. A source said, “The two have met before. In fact, Haasan came to the Delhi secretariat and met the CM in 2015, soon after AAP’s victory in the Delhi polls.” The source added that Kejriwal, who keeps in touch with several Opposition leaders such as Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, had also been in touch with Haasan.

Kejriwal was accompanied by senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Somnath Bharti and Ashutosh to Chennai and was received at the airport by Haasan’s younger daughter Akshara. A senior AAP leader said, “Bharti is AAP’s Tamil Nadu in-charge and Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh are Kejriwal’s trusted lieutenants. While AAP has no presence in Tamil Nadu, the meeting does serve to underline the fact that Arvind Kejriwal is a national leader.”

Another AAP leader said, “It seems apparent to us that he (Haasan) is going to join politics very soon, but in what form remains to be seen. Our party has been active in the area, we have had a farmers’ rally. But it is too early to talk about any other political calculation.”

Earlier, Haasan’s meeting with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had triggered speculation that he may join hands with CPM. The actor later clarified that it was only part of a series of meetings he is holding with political leaders he respects.

An AAP leader said, “There is simply no scope for the party to contest elections in Tamil Nadu right now. This is more about forming an anti-Modi platform.”

The meeting is also indicative of Kejriwal’s own “attempt to increase the scope of his role in the national Opposition space,” and “stitch together Opposition parties ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections”, said an AAP source. The source added, “Much of the political calibrations ahead of 2019 will be dependent on the election results in the Assembly elections coming up in different states.”

When Vijayan asked Haasan about his plans to join politics at a Malayalam TV interview during Onam, he replied that it is not a “mere wish” but “has become a necessity now”. In the interview, Haasan was also seen talking about his five lakh fans in Tamil Nadu who are consistently carrying out social work for the past 37 years under his guidance and “with a discipline.”

A week ago, The Indian Express had reported that Haasan has plans to launch a political party, possibly by the end of this month, and that an announcement in this regard is expected soon.

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