Delhi violence an intelligence failure: Rajinikanth

CHENNAI: Actor Rajinikanth on Wednesday blamed intelligence failure for the violence in New Delhi. Any violence should be put down with an iron hand, he said and added that this should not have been allowed to happen when world leaders like US President Donald Trump were in India."It is a total failure of central intelligence. The Union home ministry's intelligence failure. I strongly condemn it. They should put down violence with an iron hand or else they should resign and go," Rajinikanth said, his tone sharp with anger, while talking to media representatives outside his Poes Garden residence. "They should have been so careful when US President (Donald) Trump had visited (the country). The intelligence didn't do its job properly. It (violence) should have been completely crushed with an iron fist. We expect them to be careful at least from now on," he added.The actor said such protests should be nipped in the bud. "The protests in Delhi have gone too far. If they are not controlled now, it will lead to larger problems in future," he said. "I always speak the truth. But it hurts when certain people, especially senior political observers and critics, say that I am promoting BJP's thoughts and that BJP is behind me. It is not true," he said.Rajinikanth's condemnation of the Delhi violence found immediate support in actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan. "Sabaash my friend Rajinikanth," Kamal tweeted in Tamil, welcoming his stand. "This is the right path. Not a lonely path, but one along which the entire state walks. Welcome and Congrats," Kamal Haasan tweeted. Kamal was ostensibly taking a dig at Rajnikanth's famous movie dialogue with a political innuendo, 'En vazhi, thani vazhi' (My path is a separate path).Earlier, to a question on a Union minister making an incendiary speech that allegedly triggered the violence, Rajnikanth said just because one person said so, it is not right to blame the entire government for it. "I condemn anyone instigating people in the name of religion. I request the media to be neutral and not to give space for provocative speeches and violence," he said."I had clearly mentioned earlier that if any single Muslim is affected by the CAA, I will come out and lead the protests," Rajinikanth said, reiterating his earlier statement. "The CAA law has been passed by both houses of Parliament and it has received the President's nod. I don't believe it will be withdrawn by the Centre. People can protest. But, there should be no room for violence," he said.