In combative tone, Rajinikanth warns Centre on Cauvery

Chennai: Superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday warned the Centre it would have to face the anger of Tamil Nadu people if the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board is further delayed.

“The Supreme Court has firmly said that Cauvery Management Board should be formed. But the Centre is wasting time saying Karnataka is opposed to it. The CMB is the just demand of all Tamils, who have expressed it in one strong voice. If the Centre does not constitute it soon, it will have to face the ire and dissatisfaction of the people,” Rajini said, striking a politically combative tone, for the first time and that too against the Centre.

He said it was not a good idea to hold IPL matches in Chennai at a time when the entire Tamil Nadu was agitating for Cauvery water. “It is an embarrassment to think of IPL at the present situation”, said the superstar, adding that if it was not possible to scrap Chennai from the IPL calendar, at least the Chennai Super Kings players should wear black badges and their officials must cooperate with that to reflect the feelings of the Tamil people for all to see. And if even that becomes difficult to demonstrate, then the spectators, the youth and the students must wear black dresses to show TN’s Cauvery anguish, he said.

He was speaking to reporters outside his Poes Garden bungalow before leaving for the Cauvery protest by the Nadigar Sangam at Valluvar Kottam.

“Many are not clear who we are protesting for. We are not protesting for the sake of the rich farmers owning hundreds of acres. We are fighting for the poor farmers whose livelihood depends on their produce from the little piece of land they own. We must have these farmers as the face of this protest. 

“We should show to the people the agony, living conditions and tears of these small farmers. The farmers in Karnataka will understand their pain even if the politicians there do not. And that will strengthen our protest here”, Rajinikanth said.