Rajnikant again defers political career

Chennai, Oct 13 (IANS) Refusing to acknowledge the political 'party' formed by a group of his fans last week, Tamil superstar Rajnikant Monday said no one could 'force' him to enter politics.

He also warned of legal action against people using his name for political gains.

'While no one can stop me from entering the political arena, nobody can force me to do so as well. Legal action will be initiated against those who use my name for political ends,' the actor said in a statement faxed to media offices.

He, however, said his fans were free to follow political parties of their choice.

This is the third time that the icon has turned down requests from fans to carve out a political career.

While his refusal in 1996 had seen his popularity zoom, it suffered a setback when he did the same five years later.

A fledgling group of his fans' associations in Coimbatore had announced the formation of a 'party' a few days ago and expressed hope that the actor and his followers would endorse it.

Rajnikant's announcement is seen as a snub to the move.

Rajnikant cut short his shooting schedule in the US for his forthcoming venture 'Robot' earlier this month to galvanise his fan clubs following the flop of his latest film 'Kuselan'.