Directors Bharathiraja, Seeman, Ameer, Vetrimaran and several other political leaders, who have all united under one organisation called the Tamizhar Kalai Illakiya Panpattu Peravai, today lashed out at Rajinikanth for condemning the attacks against police personnel in Chennai yesterday (10 April).
In a Tweet posted earlier today, Rajinikanth had said that attack on uniformed personnel is the 'worst form of violence in a law and order situation' and that it should be tackled immediately.
Rajinikanth condemns attack on policemen during IPL match in Chennai
At an urgently called press conference by the Tamizhar Kalai Illakiya Panpattu Peravai at the Chennai Press Club today (11 April), director Bharathiraja dismissed claims that what happened outside the M A Chidambaram stadium were violent protests and said, "The protest that took place against the IPL (Indian Premiere League) match was not violence but a just struggle held in a peaceful and orderly fashion."
The director added that a reaction was not possible without an action triggering it.
"You are looking only at the reaction. Look at the action that triggered the reaction," he said.
Responding to Rajinikanth's tweet condemning the attack on policemen, Bharathiraja said, "We have got to learn only now that what was inside the basket all this while was not flowers but a snake."
The director came down hard on Rajinikanth, who, he said, was only moving his lips but that the voice that came from him actually belonged to somebody else, hinting that the actor was being forced to issue such statements by someone else.
Director Seeman, against whom a case has been registered under 10 sections of the Indian penal code, said that he never attacked policemen adding that he had only attempted to seperate both groups locked in a struggle.
"During the Jallikattu protests, it was the cops who unleashed violence. Why did Rajinikanth not condemn the violence unleashed by cops then?" he asked.
Seeman declared that the IPL match scheduled on 20 April in Chennai will not be allowed.
Director Ameer alleged that Rajinikanth always put out tweets in favour of those in power.
"When demonetisation happened, he put out a tweet in 10 minutes, congratulating the prime minister and welcoming it. Rajini will not know about policemen until he comes to the point of protest and stages a protest," he said.