No Rajini moment for Narendra Modi

Tamil actor Rajinikanth, who had been invited to the swearing-in of Narendra Modi on Monday, will not attend the ceremony, sources close to the actor say.

They say the actor is not in town, and therefore cannot attend the ceremony which will see Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif among other dignitaries.

The sources did not reveal any other information.

During the general election campaign, Modi had visited Rajini at his home in Chennai, and Rajini had described the former Gujarat Chief Minister as a “good friend”.

The actor’s move comes in the wake of student protest near his house last night, asking him to boycott the ceremony because Sri Lankan President Rajapaksha would be present.

Many political parties including the ruling AIADMK and BJP’s ally MDMK have opposed the inclusion of Rajapaksa in the ceremony.

Chennai Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is boycotting the event, and is unlikely to send a representative in her place. She described the invitation extended to Rajapaksa as “unfortunate”, saying it would deeply hurt Tamil sentiments.

The ceremony is still going to see actors Amitabh Bachchan, the brand ambassador of Gujarat tourism, and Salman Khan who had gone to fly kites with Modi before the release of “Jai Ho”. Some 4,000 dignitaries including other actors and South Asian leaders are attending the event.