Reporter’s Diary: Rainwater harvesting plans spark rivalry between Rajini and Kamal fans

Despite the stoic silence maintained by Rajinikanth and Haasan on the drinking water crisis, the supporters of the actors have engaged in a hashtag war in Twitter. It all started mid-June with the superstar’s Rajini Makkal Mandram Krishnagiri district unit announcement to provide rainwater harvesting tank in every house which falls within the Krishnagiri Assembly for free. Incidentally, Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam had also announced a similar initiative around the same time, but it did not gain as much traction as Rajini’s.

But, the war of words among the actors’ supporters broke on June 22 after Makkal Needhi Maiam’s executive committee member Kameela Nasser launched the initiative to construct rainwater harvesting structures at every house. Rajinikanth’s fans accused Haasan and his party of copying their initiative. Some of them advised Makkal Needhi Maiam members to come out with their own ideas. But Haasan’s supporters responded claiming that they were the first to come out with such an initiative and accused the Rajini Makkal Mandram of being copycats. Meanwhile, another controversy has broken out between the supporters of both the actors after Rajinikanth’s portrait was removed from the Big Boss season three house. Now, between water saving practises and portraits, it seems unlikely that the bickering among fans is going to die anytime soon.