Chennai, 14 Mar

TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna has stoked a controversy claiming that the DMK "threatened" Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth when he tried to enter politics, and his remark resulted in a strong backlash from the top actor’s fans and former advisor.

Rajinikanth’s former advisor Ra Arjunamurthy strongly condemned the remark and urged Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder Vijay to initiate action on Arjuna.

Tamil Nadu Minister S Regupathy lashed out at TVK for the allegation and said the Vijay-led party was attempting to gain political mileage by uttering a “lie.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Minister said Rajini was a friend of the DMK and had voiced support for the party.

“Rajinikanth cannot be threatened. Everyone knows that. To say that the DMK threatened him is a blatant lie. Vijay’s party is saying it to seek political mileage,” Regupathy said and pointed out that in the 1996 election Rajini had voiced support for the DMK.

Addressing the party members during a protest against the State government here on 12 March, Aadhav Arjuna, TVK general secretary, alleged that the DMK threatened Rajinikanth when he tried to enter politics.

Arjuna maintained that he was not criticising the actor but wanted to point out that TVK founder Vijay had the courage to withstand such pressure.

His comments however drew spontaneous criticism from various quarters including Rajini’s fans.

“Rajinikanth is not someone who fears threats. He stepped away from politics during the pandemic considering the risk of infection spread at gatherings. He wanted to avoid loss of lives due to the virus,” Rajini’s fan club member S Ravi told reporters.

Not everyone who gathered crowds at meetings could become a leader, he remarked.

In a letter addressed to Vijay, Rajinikanth’s former advisor and TN BJP NGO Cell state president Ra Arjunamurthy said in a post on the social media platform ‘X’ that Aadhav Arjuna was creating unnecessary conflicts and showing disrespect to towering personalities.

“For a political movement to grow, it must be built on knowledge, experience, and humility. It is not a strength for any leader to have people in the party who speak with half-baked political understanding. It will become a huge political liability over time,” Arjunamurthy stated.

In particular, belittling Rajinikanth, who has great respect and affection of people, will not elevate anyone but would only hurt the feelings of the Tamil people, he added and demanded that Aadav Arjuna be removed from the party.