Tamil Film Director Flays Rajinikanth For Violence Jibe

Veteran film director Bharathirajaa today slammed top star Rajinikanth for his remark denouncing violence against police personnel on the Cauvery issue, saying he should not drive a wedge between the Tamil people.

Bharathirajaa, who is part of a pro-Tamil cultural outfit, asked Rajinikanth “how he can dub the democratic Tamil protesters as those indulging in violence.” On April 10, during massive protests against the IPL match here, three police personnel were allegedly attacked by protesters near the M A Chidambaram stadium.

A day later, Rajinikanth, had come out against the attack saying, “the worst form of violence is the assault on uniformed personnel.”

Bharathirajaa also said Rajinikanth had not commented on various issues such as the 2009 civil war in Sri Lanka in which Tamils were killed and the methane extraction project in Tamil Nadu.

The film director said police personnel who were attacked were also Tamils and it was done by an unidentified man who wanted to besmirch the protests. “We regret for it,” he said adding “do not try to create a rift among us.”

“Please make conscious comments, else you will be sidelined by the Tamil people and that day is not far away,” Bharathirajja told Rajinikanth, who is set to launch his political party soon.

Since April 1, Tamil Nadu has been witnessing protests by political parties, pro-Tamil outfits, student groups and voluntary organisations seeking setting up of the Cauvery Management Board.