Rajinikanth comes out in support of CAA & NPR, says youth being misled into protests

Actor Rajinikanth has come out in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act and said that it will not affect Indian Muslims who have chosen India as their motherland during partition, adding that there was a lot of misleading information that was being spread due to ulterior motives of political parties and religious groups.

Rajini added that he would be the first to step out and rise in protest if and when CAA affects Indian Muslims.

On the National Population Register(NPR), Rajini said that, it is very necessary for the country. "It is a must to conduct a census of theIndian population in 2021. Don't we need to know who are Indians and who are from outside? This is very important and I don't know what is the issue with this is."

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Regarding the NRC, Rajini said that the procedure for NRC hasn't started and that deliberations were still underway about it.

On the protests that have been taking place across major parts of the country over CAA-NRC, the actor cautioned students to not get misled by the false propaganda. He urged students to think well and make informed decisions after consulting with their elders, faculty before embarking on protests.

When asked about CAA not having included Sri Lankan Tamils, Rajini stated that he was in favour of citizenship being granted to Tamil refugees who are living in camps across Tamil Nadu for several years. However, he also added that the Tamils living in Sri Lanka must not be considered as they have been living there since the time of the Chola empire.

Rajini’s comments come at a time when the DMK and their allies are involved in a state-wide signature campaign against the CAA. DMK and their allies have been collecting signatures of those opposed to the CAA, to hand it over to the president of India and demand that the CAA be withdrawn.

In an apparent response to Rajini(without stating him by name), who stated that students were being misled by political parties, DMK President MK Stalin tweeted, “It brings happiness to know that students themselves are voicing out against the CAA and taking part in the signature campaign. Voices of dominance which suggest that political parties are instigating students aren’t new, they are similar to those that spoke during anti-Hindi agitation. Just like during the anti-Hindi agitation our peaceful protests will be successful.”

Speaking to reporters, Stalin’s son and DMK Youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “nobody is forcing the students, across the country students are coming out and protesting on their own. As Rajini is still an actor, he hasn’t understood politics. After he floats a political party, I will respond to him.”