DMK stops short of offering regret for article on Rajinikanth

The mouthpiece of the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu had accused Rajinikanth of being a puppet in the hands of "some persons" and being supported by "communal" elements in a recent article.

"It has been brought to (my) notice that an article on superstar Rajinikanth that appeared in Murasoli has hurt some good hearts. The editorial (team) has been advised to be cautious while publishing such write-ups," Murasoli editor S Selvam said in the Sunday edition of the paper.

However, there was no elaboration on the points that had caused hurt or who were anguished by it.

The daily, in effect, stopped short of offering a formal regret for the write-up.

The article targeting Rajinikanth appeared in Murasoli on October 26.

It was published in a question-answer format under the pseudonym "Silanthi", meaning spider in Tamil.

"Those who are speaking for you in the media are communal (elements), who want to divide the Tamil community, which exists after transcending caste and religion," it had said.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) daily had also asked Rajinikanth to be cautious, saying "a group" was trying to destabilise his popularity, and added that anyone dancing to the tunes of the group would lose sheen.

If the actor was not eyeing posts, he should have launched an outfit on the lines of rationalist leader, late E V Ramasamy Periyar, it said.

Periyar's Dravidar Kazhagam has stayed out of electoral politics since its inception in the pre-independence era and is confined to propagating rationalism and ideals covering social justice.

Rajinikanth, who is all set to enter politics, had on October 23 said he was committed to ushering in a change in the political horizon sans the trappings of money and lure of posts.

Sharing his political vision with the members of the Rajini Makkal Mandram, a precursor forum to the launch of his party, the superstar had recalled his assertion in 2017 that he would never allow those eyeing money and posts in his political innings and said it was not a mere rhetoric.