Rajinikanth cancels Sri Lanka visit to distribute houses to displaced Tamils

Chennai: Heeding to the calls of political parties, superstar Rajinikanth on Saturday cancelled his scheduled visit to Jaffna in Sri Lanka to distribute houses to displaced Tamils and appealed to everyone concerned not to “politicise” the issue.

In a statement here, Rajinikanth said though he was “not wholeheartedly convinced” with the arguments placed by those opposing his visit to Sri Lanka next month, he decided to cancel the visit organised by Lyca Productions bowing to their request.

The actor stressed he was “not a politician, but an artiste” and his only duty is to entertain people, while appealing people not to politicise his “any future visits” to the neighbouring country.

He said he took the decision after MDMK leader Vaiko, VCK’s Thol Thirumavalavan and TVK leader T. Velmurugan asked him to consider withdrawing from the programme. Justifying his decision to accept invitation from Lyca, Rajinikanth said he thought the visit to Jaffna would fulfill long-time desire of visiting the "brave soil" and saluting the "warriors." "I wanted to attend the function for two reasons. It was my longtime desire to set my foot on the brave soil and inhale the air breathed by those lakhs and lakhs of martyrs who gave their lives for their rights and the bhoomi and for the cause of their race and salute them. I was also eager to meet lakhs of Tamils (because of whom I am here) and have an open talk with them. The second was to meet President Maithripala Sirisena," Rajinikanth said.