Tamil megastar Rajinikanth was expected to visit Sri Lanka next month.
Tamil megastar Rajinikanth, who was expected to visit Sri Lanka next month to inaugurate a housing scheme, on Saturday announced that he has cancelled the trip following protests from the Tamil outfits. The primary agenda of the visit was to hand over keys of 150 houses built for displaced Lankan Tamils at Vavunya.
The actor was invited to be the chief guest at a programme in the Northern Province's Vavuniya town on April 9. A foundation, part of Lyca Productions that is funding the actor's sci-fi entertainer "2.0", had built the houses for the displaced Lankan Tamils. Around 4 lakh people were expected to participate in the programme, according to Rajinikanth's statement.
In a three page statement, the actor referred to the struggle by Lankan Tamils in Sri Lanka and said he wanted "to breathe air on the land where lakhs had fought for their rights and died".
Rajinikanth also had sought an appointment with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to discuss the problems faced by Indian fishermen in the hands of Lankan navy.
Following protests and opposition from Tamil outfits, the 66-year-old actor requested leaders in Tamil Nadu not to politicize and stop him from going to Sri Lanka in future "if I get a chance to meet and entertain Tamils later".
T Thirumavalavan, the chief of VCK, Viduthlai Chiruthaigal Katchi (Liberation Panther Party), had advised Rajinikanth to re-consider his decision, cautioning that it could earn him the wrath of the Tamil community.
The VCK - a political party that champions the cause of Dalits in Tamil Nadu - had partnered with the DMK for 2011 assembly and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2016 elections, it was part of the third front.
He said Sri Lanka has neither rehabilitated displaced Sri Lankan Tamils nor brought to justice those responsible for human rights violations including death of innocent Tamil civilians during the war against the rebels that ended eight years back.
Against this backdrop, he argued, Sri Lanka could use Rajinikanth's proposed visit to mislead the international community on rehabilitation of the displaced Lankan Tamils.
The opposition came a day after the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted the consensus resolution on Friday that gave Sri Lanka two years beyond 2017 to fulfil its commitments for reconciliation and transnational justice.