Reporter’s Diary: Twitter storm engulfs PMK after greeting long-time foe

On November 2, he tweeted congratulating superstar Rajinikanth for being conferred with Icon of Golden Jubilee at the Indian International Film Festival in Goa. “I congratulate him for achieving more in the film industry,” he tweeted.

Ramadoss’s tweet evoked strong reactions from the social media, questioning his sudden change of heart in greeting the actor after having several run-ins over the past two decades. PMK had actively campaigned against Rajinikanth’s movie Baba in 2002 for misguiding the youth with ‘cigarette-flicking and boozing’. Rajinikanth hit back in 2004 Lok Sabha polls by asking his supporters to vote against the PMK candidates but to his dismay, all the six candidates won the polls.

The rivalry continued over the years. Even when Rajinikanth announced his political entry, PMK opposed it saying that he was a non-Tamil.

Now with the BJP actively wooing Rajinikanth, PMK which is an ally of the AIADMK-BJP combine in the State, seems to be in a political compulsion to greet the actor with the award being conferred by the BJP government at the centre. Will it affect their vote bank or not would be revealed in the coming bypolls.