CHENNAI: Actor Rajinikanth on Wednesday once again appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for "deftly" handling the Kashmir issue. This is the second time that he has appreciated the duo since the constitutional provision granting special status to Jammu & Kashmir was effectively scrapped and the State was bifurcated into union territories.
Addressing reporters outside his Poes Garden residence, he said, "They handled the Kashmir issue very cleverly. It is a huge issue related to our country's security. Kashmir is like a mother's house for terrorists and extremists... It is like a gateway to India for them," he said. It may be recalled that the actor caught flak for making a similar statement about the police firing that killed 13 people in Thoothukudi last May. He had claimed that "evil forces" and "anti-social elements" had taken over the anti-Sterlite protesters at the time.
Describing the planning and execution of the move as 'Raja thanthiram' (king's strategy), he said, "Before they announced the decision, they imposed Section 144 (prohibitory orders) and detaining those who may cause problems... They first passed the Bill in the Rajya Sabha where the BJP does not have a majority and then passed it in the Lok Sabha." Former J&K chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah are among the leaders who have been detained in Kashmir.
On the opposition to the revocation of special status to Kashmir, he said some leaders should know what issues can be politicised and what should not, since this is an issue related to the country's security. Even as the actor and aspiring politician is accused of being the BJP's proxy in Tamil Nadu, the State BJP tweeted a video clip of Rajinikanth's comments on Kashmir, highlighting certain parts of the speech on Wednesday night.
Rajinikanth had compared the Modi-Shah duo to Krishna and Arjuna in Chennai on Sunday, a comparison that was criticised by Congress leaders and others.