Rajinikanth faces backlash for comments

Chennai: Superstar Rajinikanth is faced with ferocious backlash to his Wednesday’s chargesheet attributing the Thoothukudi violence to ‘anti-socials’ infiltrating what had hitherto been peaceful protest against Sterlite. Most of the political class in Tamil Nadu, apart from some social activists and even the public — particularly the left leaning — slamming him as being insensitive to people’s struggle against a ‘marauding corporate’.

There was some solace, though, as both the AIADMK and the BJP spoke up, rather forcefully, in support of the actor’s ‘bold’ statement which they said was like a nail hit on the head.

“Rajinikanth spoke with clear conscience when he said anti-socials had infiltrated the anti-Sterlite protest and that must be welcomed”, said the AIADMK official organ ‘Namadhu Puratchithalaivi Amma’ in its Thursday morning edition.

BJP state president Dr Tamilisai Sounderarajan insisted that her party has been warning for long that anti-socials have infiltrated peaceful public demonstrations to destroy peace.

“The Thoothukudi agitation turned violent only because of anti-socials infiltrating. The protesting public never had any intention to throw stones and torch vehicles. One only needs to examine the dimension and direction the protest took to understand clearly that anti-socials had taken charge”, she said, adding, “And so, we (BJP) have been saying all along what Rajinikanth has now said”.

But the Opposition DMK and allies came down heavily against the actor, accusing him of insulting the Thoothukudi protesters by branding them as anti-socials. “He sounded like the mouthpiece of the BJP and the AIADMK”, said DMK working president M.K.Stalin.

“Rajinikanth, being the superstar, should point out the anti-socials among those protesters. Let’s wait and see if he will do this”.

Referring to the star’s statement that Tamil Nadu would “turn into a graveyard if people start fighting for everything”, Stalin said, “None can say there should be no agitations as life itself is a battle. Nothing can be achieved without fighting and nothing was — be it the Independence struggle or the fight for Jallikattu”.

State Congress president Su.Thirunavukarasu said he had gone to Thoothukudi along with Stalin and other leaders on the day after the police firing. “We found no anti-socials and extremists there. Rajinikanth might have spoken in that fashion based on the information he had received, but it’s not entirely true”, he said.

MDMK chief Vaiko wanted Rajinikanth to be “arrested under NSA unless he comes out with details of the anti-socials who had infiltrated in the protest”. VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan saw a wide conflict between actor Rajini in his films advocating fight to get justice and the real-life Rajini now saying agitations would destroy Tamil Nadu — he was obviously alluding to the superstar’s latest flick Kaala whose trailer featured a hit song ‘Poraduvom’ shot on Rajini with the robust lyrics exhorting people to join him to “fight for our children, for revolution”.

“Rajinikanth should speak for the people and not be the mouthpiece of the corporate (Sterlite) or read out the script prepared by others (BJP-AIADMK) like the actors do in films”, said the VCK chief, which was almost a carbon copy of the all the hard attack by other opposition parties, including the Left.