Chennai: Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth said the violence that erupted in parts of Delhi was due to intelligence failure, stating that the riots should have been dealt with an iron fist.
The superstar said the home ministry has failed in its duty to prevent the communal clashes in northeast Delhi in which at least 24 people have lost their lives and over 200 people have been severely injured.
Hours later, his colleague and superstar Kamal Haasan congratulated him for his statements. In a tweet, he wrote, "Shabash Rajini. Welcome to this route -- it's not a separate route but the path trodden by an entire race. Welcome and Congrats."
In a rare attack on the BJP-led Centre, Rajinikanth asked those in power to "resign and go" if the violence could not be crushed with an iron fist. However, he did not name anyone.
"All protests that are happening in Delhi are because of intelligence failure. I condemn it. When a leader like (US President Donald) Trump is in the country, the intelligence (officials) should have been more vigilant. They didn’t do their job properly. At least now I expect them to be vigilant and the violence should be dealt with an iron fist. If it is the intelligence failure, then it is also the Home Ministry's failure. I strongly condemn the people and the political parties that use religion for electoral gains," Rajinikanth told reporters in Chennai.
He also said that if the central government is not dealing with the situation in the right way, there will be trouble in future.
Regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) over which the clashes had initially started in the national capital, Rajinikanth said protests should not turn violent and recalled his earlier statement that he will stand by Muslims if they were affected by the amended citizenship law.
The actor also reiterated that he will be the first to voice his support for Muslims if they are affected by the CAA.
Rajinikanth said, "I said if Muslims are affected by the CAA, I will stand by them. But as the central government has clarified that it will not implement the NRC (National Register of Citizens), there is no point in creating confusion over it. However, protests should not turn violent."
When asked about provocative statements made by some BJP leaders, including Kapil Mishra and Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Rajinikanth said their hate speeches did not reflect the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s stand on the controversial issues.
The Delhi High Court has directed police to take a "conscious decision" with respect to the registration of FIRs against the alleged hate speeches made by the BJP leaders.
However, Rajinikanth said he disliked it when some sections of media and political observers linked him with the BJP. He said, "The CAA has been passed in both the Houses of Parliament and I don’t think it will be repealed. But when I speak in support of the CAA, people say I am a BJP mouthpiece. I feel pained by those remarks."
(With inputs from PTI)
Comments
0 comment