The Tamil politics behind Rajinikanth cancelling Sri Lanka visit
Just days ago, it was seen that a heartbroken superstar Rajinikanth sent out a statement cancelling his much-awaited Sri Lanka visit. Though the actor clearly indicated his displeasure at the protest staged by Tamil groups in Tamil Nadu, his decision was made - no trip this time.
His letter stated his interest in meeting the President of Sri Lanka and to understand and convey the issues of the Sri Lankan Tamils. He wrote that he wanted to breathe the same air as that of the Sri Lankan Tamils there, but none of it will be possible this time.
While his decision was immediately welcomed by Tamil groups in the state, they said: "We are not against Rajini going to Sri Lanka, we are against the agenda that he is being made ambassador to. The Sri Lankan government is trying to use Rajini's face to wash away the atrocities that the Sri Lankan government has been carrying out in Lanka."
The Sri Lankan Tamils in Jaffna have a different tale. They are disappointed that the superstar is unable to visit their land; in fact Shivaji Lingam, a senior Tamil leader in Sri Lanka, said: "We apologise to Rajinikanth for the trauma he had to go through due to the protest against his visit to Sri Lanka. We were really hoping he could be a source through which our problems could be brought to the limelight. We really hope he can make it to Sri Lanka in the future without such protests."
The displeasure that has been caused to the Sri Lankan Tamils is evident in the statement. But the bone of contention that the Tamil groups in the state had against Rajini's visit was that "the Lyka production that was producing Endiran 2.0, though owned by a Sri Lankan Tamil, has close ties with Mahinda Rajapaksa and also with the present Sri Lankan government. The opening of the 150-odd houses for Sri Lankan Tamils by them is just an eye-wash," said Viduthalai Siruthai Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan.
Fans and supporters of Rajinikanth have also been highly critical of Tamil groups like VCK and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK). Durgesh Haridas, a journalist, said: "How is it that these Tamil groups get alert when there is a Rajini or Vijay film? Vijay's film Kathi produced by Lyka also faced similar issues, but between Endiran 2.0 and Kathi there have been three releases by Lyka and none faced any issue. They were acted by low key actors, but were box office hits. These parties always wake up and have issues ahead of some elections and this time, with RK Nagar by-polls around the corner, this was the best opportunity to bring out the Tamil ideology."