Tamil film actor Vijaykanth is all set to launch a new political party to fight against what he called 'rampant casteism and communalism' in the country.

Vijaykanth, 51, told PTI in Madurai that he kept a 'respectable distance' from the Dravidian parties all these days, though he was a Dravidian by birth.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress were trying to woo him, he claimed. "I am a hardboiled Gandhian and my father was a staunch Congressman," he added

"I have no anti-Brahmin, anti-Aryan or anti-Hindi sentiments." Vijaykanth said. "Even during the anti-Hindi agitation in 1965 I did not even support it though many of my schoolmates in Madurai took part in it."

Vijaykanth is the recipient of Tamil Nadu Government's 'Kalaimamani Award', Centre's Best Citizen of India Award, Filmfare Award, Cinema Express Award, Best Tamil Citizen Award by Mayor of Houston, Texas and many other awards.

Vijaykanth regretted that he did not know English but said he was not an Anglo-phobic.

Hailed as <I>Puratchi Kalaignar</I> (revolutionary artiste), Vijaykanth, president of South Indian Film Artistes' Association, recently led a tour of South Indian artistes, including matinee idols Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth, to Singapore and Malaysia and conducted 'star nites'. The collection was used to wipe out the debts incurred by the association.