It is a testimony to the sharp divide in opinion over the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Citizenship Registry (NRC) that two hashtags involving Rajinikanth trend on social media at the same time. The subject is the same – his statement over the protests that have broken out through the country over CAA. 

On Thursday, Rajinikanth said “Violence or riots cannot be a solution to any problem. Every citizen of this country please be aware of the surroundings and please be united in this time. I am deeply disturbed by the ongoing violence in the country.”

Simultaneously, two hashtags began to trend. The first by those supporting the Superstar’s position #IstandwithRajinikanth and the other by those critical of him, said #ShameonyouSanghiRajini. While the former compared Rajini’s position to the message of non-violence of the Mahatma and supported his position for speaking in a mature manner, his critics slammed him for taking what they saw was a pro-BJP line. 

Accusing the actor of lacking a spine, there are calls made to boycott his `Darbar’ that releases on Pongal in January. Some claimed he did not deserve to be in politics, and could never aspire to be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 2021. Incidentally, Rajini’s friend and industrymate Kamal Haasan has taken a sharp anti-CAA position.