Don't have any political ambitions, says tamil actor Ajith Kumar
Chennai, Jan 21: Popular Tamil cinema star Ajith Kumar Monday denied that he had any political ambitions, saying he was careful to ensure there was no political undertones even in his films.
His job was to act and he was 'clear' about this, the 'Viswasam' star said in a statement, seeking to put an end to 'reports' in this connection.
"Everyone knows that I am determined that there are no political colours attached to me in my personal capacity or in my fims. My job is to act in movies," he said.
The actor, whose films are known to command good openings, recalled he had earlier disbanded his fan clubs to ensure that there were no political colours on him or on them.
"Even after this decision of mine, there are reports linking my name or that of my fans with certain political happenings. These will create an apprehension among people that I have now got political ambitions, and that too with the (general) elections around" he said.
Ajith Kumar has a good fan following and his Pongal release 'Viswasam' is said to be giving a tough run to superstar Rajinikanth's action flick 'Petta', also released during the festive season, in box office collections in the domestic market.
Tamil cinema has always been identified with two stars on either sides during the respective eras, starting with the icons, the late M G Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan, followed by Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, and now Vijay and Ajith Kumar.
While Haasan has already floated his political party, Rajinikanth has announced he will take the political plunge.
Reports have suggested that Vijay could also join politics, though he has not officially made any statement so far.
However, his last film 'Sarkar' angered the AIADMK for its alleged poor depiction of the ruling party's freebie schemes, even resulting in stalling of shows by supporters in some areas.
In his statement today, Ajith Kumar further said," I have no direct or indirect interest in politics."
"My best link with politics is casting my vote as a citizen by standing in the queue," he said, adding that he has never asked his fans to vote for or support a particular political party.
"I too have my individual preferences in politics but I don't impose them on anyone, nor do I allow others to do that on me. I expect my fans also to be so," he said.
The actor said he was focused on his film career and has not made any political statements. He was also against any indecent criticism of other actors on social media.
He urged his fans from various walks to focus on their education and profession and be law-abiding citizens and maintain unity and mutual respect.
"This is (how you show your) love for me. Live and let live," he said.
Ajith Kumar had earlier created a flutter a couple of years ago when he complained to then Chief Minister, the late M Karunanidhi, at a cinema event that actors were being forced to take a stand on sensitive political issues, apparently referring to the Cauvery water sharing dispute with Karnataka and plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
