Rajinikanth cancels Sri Lanka trip amid Tamil group protests
Rajinikanth has cancelled his trip to Sri Lanka for a housing scheme launch, following protests by some pro-Tamil groups. The groups alleged that the event is an attempt to involve Rajinikanth in an "ethnic issue". In a letter, Rajinikanth has urged people to not politicise his visit if he gets a chance to meet Sri Lankan Tamils in the future.
Following protest from the pro-Tamil groups like Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), superstar Rajinikanth has decided not to participate in the Jaffna event, which is scheduled on April 9.Trade analyst Ramesh Bala shared Rajinikanth's letter on Twitter. In the letter, Rajini says, "I will not participate in the event, although I disagree with the reasons stated by Thirumavalavan and Vaiko.". @superstarrajini decides not to go to Sri Lanka.. pic.twitter.com/BsM6gFUGnBRajinikanth says that the reason he wanted to visit Lanka was to see the places where Tamils lived. He also mentions that he wanted to meet Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, to find a solution for the pertaining fishermen problem. Taking a dig at politics, Rajinikanth says he's not a politician, but a mere artist. As per a statement released by Lyca Productions, Rajinikanth was supposed to visit Jaffna to hand over keys built for Tamils by Gnanam Foundation.However, the fringe groups alleged that Lyca Productions is based in Lanka, and protested against Rajinikanth for the same.Over the years, Eelam is one issue that has spawned several heated debates across Tamil Nadu. In fact, some of the pro-Tamil groups protested against Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Kaththi (2014) and called for a ban on the film, which was also produced by Lyca Productions. 2.0, directed by Shankar, also stars Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson and Sudhanshu Pandey, and will hit the screens on Diwali this year.ALSO READ: Katamarayudu Review