WELL, AS already reported in these columns, Rajnikanth silenced his critics by actively participating in the nine-hour fast organised by the Tamil Film Chamber of Commerce in Chennai on April 4 (Friday). It was organised to protest Karnataka’s opposition to the Hogenakkal Combined Water Supply Scheme and the attacks on theatres filming Tamil films in Bangalore city.

 

Police had a tough time keeping at bay the surging crowd of fans who wanted to have a ‘free darshan’ of their favourite stars. The fans tried to get as near the dais as possible to get as close to their favourite actors as possible. The cynosure of all eyes was the group of actors of Karnataka origin who have made it big in the Tamil film world - the super star Rajnikanth himself and leading actors Arjun and Murali. Murali is the son of the well known and highly respected Kannada film director Siddalingaiah. As swashbuckling off the screen as he is on it, Rajnikanth did not disappoint his fans when he delivered his speech. Clearly keeping the people of Karnataka out of the issue, he said the time had arrived to stop those (read politicians) inciting violence in Karnataka. He criticised the Karnataka politicians rather severely and accused the BJP and Congress leaders of trying to make political capital out of the issue. He found fault with the Karnataka government’s approach to the issue. 

 

Actor Vijayakanth, founder-president of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, a nascent political party, which performed rather well for a newcomer during the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, wanted the Tamil Nadu government to prevail upon the central government to act decisively in Tamil Nadu’s favour. 

 

Kamal Hasan advised restraint. According to him, “We are playing a social game and we need Rajnikanth, Sathyaraj, Kumble and Gulzar to be part of it. Unlike cricket, this team has 100 crore people.”

 

Fortunately, Chennai-based Kannadigas have no complaints. They claim they have been enjoying peaceful and harmonious relations with the local Tamils. “We are living in perfect harmony. There is absolutely no problem for Kannadigas living in Chennai. We live together as Indians and not as representatives of two linguistic communities,” KP Acharya, president of Karnataka Sangha, Chennai, is quoted to have told the press. The Hogenakkal water project had been politicised and the common man had nothing to do with the problems, which followed. The Kannada school was not affected. Some hoteliers had been affected albeit insignificantly. The Karnataka Sangha’s educational institutions had strength of around 1,800, of which the Tamils accounted for more than 90 per cent. The principal of Karnataka Sangha Higher Secondary School claimed that her school was not affected at all. Being the first day of the annual examinations, she could not declare a holiday. 95 per cent of her students were Tamils who condemned violence. 

 

Meanwhile the Tamil Nadu assembly passed two resolutions within a week on the issue. One sought the centre’s full support for the drinking water project and the other condemned the violence against theatres screening Tamil films in Bangalore.

 

But the Tamil Nadu government has put on hold the Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project, according to latest reports. This may well mark the end of the standoff between the two governments at least temporarily.  The chief minister Karunanidhi said that his government would await the installation of a popular government in Karnataka, which hopefully would abide by the 1998 agreement on the Hogenakkal project. But a rider accompanies his government’s decision. Karunanidhi added, “If the situation continues even after the polls there, we will tell the world that Tamils, even at the cost of their lives, will not be people without self respect. We will wait till a popular government is in place there. I expect the co-operation of the new government for the scheme.”