Kannada groups ban Rajnikanth’s films in Karnataka

Though the Karnataka shutdown scheduled for April 10 has been called off following Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s decision to put the controversial Hogenakal scheme on hold till a popular Government is installed in the state, pro-Kannada groups continued to target Tamil superstar Rajnikanth for the latter’s “insulting” remarks against Kannadigas.

The Kannada outfits declared that they will not allow films of Ranjikanth to be screened anywhere in Karnataka till the Tamil superstar tendered an unconditional apology for his comments made in Chennai.

“He has insulted us. Not only will we prevent his films from being screened in Karnataka, we will not allow him to enter the state”, President of Karnataka Border Protection Committee and former MLA Vatal Nagaraj said.

“The Tamil superstar fights only on the screen. Let him come to Karnataka, we will tell him how a real fight is fought. Unless he begs pardon for his insulting words, we will not let him land in Karnataka”, Vatal Nagaraj said.

Protests against Rajnikanth continued in various parts of the state, particularly in Bangalore, Mandya and Mysore. Kannada activists set fire to rolls of Rajnikanth’s films in Mysore to give vent to their ire over the Tamil superstar’s remarks against Kannadigas.

A group of Kannada activists staged a protest in Mysore yesterday against Kannada film actors Ambarish and Vishnuvardhan for their failure to participate in a film artistes rally organized in Bangalore.

Earlier, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, which was spearheading the agitation against the Hogenakkal drinking water project, said the April 10 shutdown had been called off following Karunanidhi’s assurance to suspend the work on the project.

“The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has given an assurance that works on Hogenakkal project would be suspended till an elected Government comes to power in Karnataka. He has also agreed to hold discussions on Hogenakkal project with the new Government. Following his assurance, we are calling off the state-wide shutdown”, Vedike President T A Narayana Gowda told reporters.