Udhayanidhi deprecates scribes for posing questions to Rajini on his elevation

CHENNAI: Superstar Rajinikanth on Friday declined to comment on an expectation in the ruling DMK that Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin will soon be elevated as Deputy Chief Minister and the latter deprecated disturbing the top actor with a question on the matter.

While Rajinikanth told reporters here that he had already made it clear to them to not pose political questions, Udhayanidhi, addressing an event, later said some (media outlets) had posted a thumbnail/heading on YouTube as though the actor was incensed by the prospect of him becoming the deputy chief minister.

Though Rajinikanth made it amply clear that he was not inclined to answer questions related to politics, "What is the heading they have given? What an impression it will give (to readers)?", Udhayanidhi, also the DMK youth wing secretary asked. He said he was himself taken aback.

The minister said the actor was at the airport to take a flight and wondered if it was necessary to bother him with such a question. He said he was not sure about the thumbnail to be posted by the media for the points he has now made on the matter. "It could be like this...Udhayanidhi hits back at Superstar Rajinikanth, I am giving you a cue."

Furthermore, he said: "I am not the Deputy CM yet. There is no announcement yet. It is the prerogative of the Chief Minister."

On the chances of elevation, journalists have asked Chief Minister M K Stalin and they also posed the same question to him and this was alright. But the practice of asking questions related to this matter from almost everyone was not appropriate, he said.