Superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday refused to apologise or express regret for his comments on social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy amid protests in Tamil Nadu. He maintained that his comments were based on news clippings.
“A controversy has emerged that I said something that did not happen. But I did not say anything that did not occur. I only said what I heard and things that appeared in magazines. Sorry, I will not express regret or apologise,” he said on Tuesday, according to PTI.
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On January 14, during an event by Tamil magazine Thuglak, Rajinikanth had said, “In 1971, at Salem, Periyar took out a rally in which naked images of Lord Sriramachandramoorthy and Sita — with a garland of footwear — were featured.”
He then added that Cho Ramaswamy’s Thuglak was the only magazine to cover the event by Periyar. “Cho strongly condemned the event by Periyar immediately and Thuglak was the only magazine to do so. This brought a bad name to the ruling DMK who did not want the magazine to be circulated. The issue was seized by the government but Cho reprinted it and the magazine was sold in black,” he was quoted as saying in The News Minute report.
Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam had filed a complaint against the actor, seeking action against him for the remarks. Nehrudass, DVK Coimbatore city unit president, told The Hindu that Rajinikanth was “spreading falsehood” and sought a public apology from him.
Meanwhile, members of a fringe Tamil outfit burnt an effigy of Rajinikanth for his remarks on Monday and accused him of spreading “false” information. Five members of the outfit were arrested, according to PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)