Sarath takes on Rajnikant

Chennai, May 31 (IANS): DMK chief Muthuvel Karunandhi is yet to say an unkind word about Rajnikant, even though the actor was on the other side of the fence in the Lok Sabha elections.

But the DMK's own film star, Sarath Kumar, has taken on Rajni.

Rajni has, in a recent statement, reiterated that Karunanidhi is "a dear and respected friend" of his. This, however, has not stopped Sarath from launching a frontal attack on Rajni who backed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-AIADMK alliance in Tamil Nadu.

"Selfishness, confusion - is thy name Rajni?" asks Sarath in a media interview here.

"Why didn't he ever talk to us about any river-linking scheme?" he demands. Rajni claimed that he was backing the BJP-AIADMK alliance because it had backed the scheme that alone, in his view, could solve Tamil Nadu's chronic water problem.

"Rajni now seeks to remain in the news. He is now afraid that people may forget about him. That is why he manufactures news," scoffs Sarath.

Veteran DMK watchers say Sarath would not have launched the anti-Rajni offensive without the party leadership's nod.