Actor-politician Rajinikanth reiterated his stand on the abrogation of Article 35A and Article 370 issue on Wednesday and stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah accomplished the feat with diplomacy.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai on Wednesday, Rajinikanth elaborated on why he had called the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah duo as Krishna and Arjuna. “They handled the Kashmir issue with diplomacy. When I said Krishna and Arjuna, I meant one person plans the operation and the other person executes it,” he explained.
Emphasising that Kashmir issue is important since it is about the security of the country, the superstar said, “Kashmir is like the homeland for terrorists, which they are using to infiltrate into the country. It is like the gateway to India. To first bring in [prohibitory orders under section] 144, then put those who might create issues inside (under house arrest), to pass the bill in the Rajya Sabha first since they don’t have a majority there and then bring it to Parliament (Lok Sabha) — this is a fantastic strategy.”
He added that if the move had been debated in public, it would have alerted miscreants in Kashmir, who wouldn’t have allowed the matter to be settled, and that politicians must understand what to politicise. “This is an issue concerning the security of the country. That is why I said what I said,” he said.
Rajinikanth’s comments come days after he showered praises on the Modi-Shah duo for the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir. He was speaking at a book launch event attended by the Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu and Amit Shah among others. “Really my heartfelt congratulations for your Mission Kashmir operations, sir. The way you conducted it, hats off, especially the speech you delivered in Parliament, fantastic sir,” he had said.
This is the second time within one week that Rajinikanth has come out in support of the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A. In Tamil Nadu, the ruling party AIADMK has welcomed the move while the opposition party DMK has slammed the decision.