“Mind your business”, Chidambaram slams Army Chief General Rawat for remarks on CAA protests
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 28: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday came down heavily on Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat, who had recently criticised people leading violent protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act, asking him to "mind his business."
The former union minister was speaking at the 'Maha Rally" against the new Act, organised by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in front of Raj Bhavan here.
He also alleged that the Army Chief and the Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh had been asked to support the government and it was a "shame".
"Now, the Army General is being asked to speak up. Is it the job of the Army General?" Chidambaram asked.
"The DGP... the Army General are being asked to support the government. It is a shame. Let me appeal to General Rawat.. You head the Army and mind your business... what politicians will do, politicians will do."
"It is not the business of the Army to tell politicians what we should do. Just as it is not our business to tell you how to fight a war. You fight war according to your ideas and we will manage the politics of the country.." he said.
Politicians would manage politics and the army does not have the business to tell them what they should do, the Congress veteran added.
Criticising the anti-CAA protests, General Rawat had recently said the leadership was not about guiding masses, including students, to carry out arson and violence.
"Leaders are not those who lead people in inappropriate directions, as we are witnessing in a large number of university and college students, the way they are leading masses of crowds to carry out arson and violence in our cities and towns.
This is not leadership," the Army Chief had said at a health summit in New Delhi on Thursday.
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No 'jealousy' against Vijay, meeting with Stalin was friendship call, says Rajini
Chennai (PTI): Superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday denied he was "jealous" about Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and clarified that his recent meeting with DMK president M K Stalin was "purely" a friendship call and not done with any political motive.
Talking to reporters at his Poes Garden residence here, and responding to some reports, the top star made it clear that the meeting with the former chief minister Stalin was not an attempt to hinder Vijay's chief ministerial aspirations or merge political parties.
Dismissing that he had any envy towards TVK founder and chief minister Vijay, the "Jailer" star said there was a 25-year generational gap between him and the CM and commended Vijay's impressive achievements at a young age, which he said surpassed even those of the legendary MGR (MG Ramachandran) and NTR (N T Rama Rao). MGR and NTR, the two matinee idols from Tamil and Telugu cinema had gone on to become CM of Tamil Nadu and the then undivided Andhra Pradesh, respectively.
"I have seen Vijay since a young age. Why would I be jealous if he had become CM. That too at a young age of 52, he has achieved more than MGR and NTR... I have no envy at all," he added.
Rajinikanth also congratulated Vijay, whose TVK won 108 seats to form government after getting support from Congress, VCK, Left parties and IUML after the April 23 elections defeating Dravidian majors -- DMK and AIADMK.
The superstar further said that he did not enter politics due to health reasons and advised his fans to support any political party of their choice.
Rajinikanth also urged the people to grant Vijay a two-year period to establish himself.
