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Actor Rajinikanth extended support to the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, saying, “They (the government) has made it very clear that CAA will not cause any harm.”
He made this statement during a media address on Wednesday, outside his residence at Poes Garden in Chennai. The actor has been criticised for his silence over the ongoing anti-CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) protests.
He also said that there is ‘huge fear among Muslims’ regarding these laws and vowed to stand up for his “Muslim brothers” if their citizenship is threatened.
Expressing his support for NPR and NRC, he said, “Census is essential. In 2010 and 2015, Congress did it. We need to conduct Census as it is very essential. NRC has not been implemented yet.”
On being asked about concerns over Sri Lankan Tamils not being factored in, he said, “We should give dual citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees here, but should not disturb those in Sri Lanka calling them as minorities.”
He added that the problem is “about giving citizenship to people of other countries.”
The actor had a word of advice for the thousands of students protesting across the country.
He added, “If there’s an FIR in your name, your life will be over.”
On the night of 19 December, the actor had taken to Twitter to express concern over the violence that had erupted in various parts of the country. The police had attacked students in Delhi for protesting against CAA. The police action sparked nationwide protests.
“Violence and rioting cannot be a way to find solution to any issue,” Rajinikanth had said in a tweet.
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