Who are you, anti-Sterlite protester asks Rajini

Politics can be quite a leveller. As a film star, Rajinikanth is the object of universal adulation in Tamil Nadu. People throng to catch a glimpse of him if he makes an appearance. They fight to take selfies with him. But when he visited victims the recent violence, at the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital (TMCH) as a politician, a young riot victim undergoing treatment asked him: “Who are you?” It’s a question that Santhosh asks visiting VIPs to show his and the people’s anger at politicians.

Top trend on Twitter

It is not known if the spiritually inclined Mr. Rajinikanth was led to a state of ecstatic bliss by the existential dimensions of the question. In the mundane Twitterati world, however, it was certainly a high point.

The Tamil hashtag #NaandhaanpaRajinikanth (I am only Rajinikanth) remained on top of the trends for several hours.

The youth, K. Santhosh Raj, 21, a B.Com graduate from Pandaarampatti near here, formed the All College Students’ Federation that played an active role in the anti-Sterlite agitation ever since it started at A. Kumareddiyarpuram. When he was marching towards the District Collectorate on May 22, Mr. Santosh suffered a bleeding head injury and multiple blows from the lathi charge. He is undergoing treatment at the TMCH with nine sutures on his head.

Mr. Santhosh riled the supporters of Minister ‘Kadambur’ C. Raju with this question. Chastened by this experience, officials did not allow reporters to accompany Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam when he came visiting. Nevertheless, Mr. Panneerselvam had to face this question from Mr. Santhosh, sources at TMCH said.

And, on Wednesday, Mr. Rajinikanth too faced the question but he moved on with a smile.

“His mother delivered a fiery speech when Pandaarampatti residents staged a dharna in their hamlet against Sterlite Copper. She asked them to be tough if police action became intense on the 100th day of the agitation,” said a policeman deployed at the village during the agitation.

Meanwhile, Rajini Makkal Mandram office-bearers, who had mobilised the family members of eight persons killed in the riot in a private resort on Thoothukudi outskirts as he met the media, did not take them to meet the actor. “We were asked to come to the resort at 9 a.m. itself to receive the assistance of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased. But we were not allowed to meet him,” said Mary, aunt of Snowlin, who was waiting at the resort since morning.

Like Ms. Mary, the relatives of Kanthiah, Kaliappan, Selvasekar, Jancy and others waited for a while and left the resort in a huff.