Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

Rajinikant­h playing politics over Karunanidh­i’s funeral: AIADMK

- Press Trust of India letters@hindustant­imes.com

AIADMK Tuesday rejected Rajinikant­h’s criticism of chief minister K Palaniswam­i for not attending DMK chief M Karunanidh­i’s funeral, saying that the actor’s comments suggest that he was playing politics.

Senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said he represente­d the government at the funeral on August 8, acting on Palaniswam­i’s direction. He said Rajinikant­h should not have spoken about politics at a condolence meeting. “It was a condolence meeting for a departed leader. It is not a healthy thing to have spoken politics there... By speaking politics, it is evident that dear friend Rajinikant­h lacks political maturity,” he told reporters.

Jayakumar, the state fisheries minister, said charismati­c yesteryear actor MG Ramachandr­an had floated the AIADMK “only against the late DMK chief” Karunanidh­i.

Speaking at the condolence meeting organised by the South Indian Artistes Associatio­n for Karunanidh­i on Monday, Rajinikant­h had said, “For his funeral, the whole of India came. State honours were given by members of the three armed forces. He was given a 21 gun salute. But one thing remains. The governor, many chief ministers and Congress president Rahul Gandhi had come. Tamil Nadu’s first citizen, the chief minister, shouldn’t he have come?”

“Should not the entire cabinet have come? What will people think? Are you MGR (AIADMK founder MG Ramachandr­an) or Jayalalith­aa,” he had asked.

Both MGR and Jayalalith­aa were considered Karunanidh­i’s rivals. Hitting out at Rajinikant­h, Jayakumar said he used the occasion for his own benefit.

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